Golden League hopes fading as Austria falls 1-3 to Sweden

The Austrian men’s national team suffered a 1-3 (22-25, 18-25, 25-20, 23-25) defeat to Sweden on Friday evening in Amstetten. With this result, Austria’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 CEV Golden League are all but gone. Despite a strong comeback in the third set and a hard-fought fourth, the unbeaten Swedes ultimately proved too consistent.

Gačič: “Details decided the match”
“We struggled early on, partly because Sweden is a team that makes very few mistakes – that was the case again today,” said Austria head coach Radovan Gačič. “We also didn’t serve well in the first two sets. In the end, small details made the difference, and Sweden was able to win 3-1.”

Austria battles back, fourth set drama
After dropping the first two sets with little resistance, Austria fought back impressively in the third, raising their service pressure and tightening their block-defence to take the set 25-20. The fourth set saw Austria in control for long stretches – leading 10:6, 17:15 and later 20:19 – and even fending off one match point at 22:24. But Sweden converted their second opportunity to close out the match after 106 minutes.

“Just like the first, the fourth set was really close,” said outside hitter Lukas Glatz (13 points). “We gave everything in the third, but in the end Sweden’s experience showed.”

Czerwinski leads the charge again
Michael Czerwinski once again impressed and led all scorers with 27 points. Paul Nusterer added 11 points for Austria. Sweden’s top scorers were Jacob Ekman and Axel Enlund, each with 12.

Sweden’s head coach Gido Vermeulen wasn’t fully satisfied despite the win: “We were aiming for a 3-0 victory. Austria played great in the third set – while we lost our energy a bit. That’s why we brought in two fresh players to help us close out the fourth. Losing that one set hurts, because it complicates our situation in the standings.”

Saturday showdown: Hungary vs Sweden – Austria rests
While Austria has a rest day on Saturday, the Silver League tournament in Amstetten continues with a crucial match between Hungary and Sweden (June 28, 17:35 CEST, live on ORF Sport+). Austria will return to the court on Sunday for their final group stage match against Hungary (June 29, 17:35 CEST, live on ORF Sport+).