Italy top Pool A after dramatic five-setter, Greece secure third place

While all tickets to Torino had already been booked in the previous days, Thursday was decisive in determining the final order in Pool A. Greece claimed their third consecutive victory - and third win of the tournament - to secure third place in Pool A. In their final match in Modena, the Hellenic side defeated Slovakia 3-1, leaving their opponents without a win in the pool. Later in the day, Italy defeated Slovenia in a dramatic five-set battle in the final match at the Palapanini in Modena to finish top of Pool A. In the eighthfinals in Torino, Italy will face Denmark, while Slovenia will take on Serbia, Greece will meet Finland and Czechia will play Belgium.

Slovakia - Greece 1-3 (17-25, 25-21, 22-25, 17-25)

With Greece already guaranteed a place in the knockout stage following Slovakia’s defeat the day before, the Hellenic side were fighting to improve their position in the standings and secure third place, while Slovakia were still chasing their first victory of the tournament. With Theodoros Voulkidis at the service line, Greece raced to a significant 9-3 lead. Angelos Markou and Lampros Pitakoudis (100% success in attack) led the offence, contributing six and five points respectively. Slovakia tried to reduce the deficit through Erik Gulák and Julius Firkal, who led their team’s attack as they brought the score to 13-7, but Greece responded immediately. With Jakub Ihnat at the service line, Slovakia pushed once again, cutting the deficit to 17-12. Their efforts, however, were not enough to unsettle an almost flawless Greek side, who committed just three errors in the set. Markou then delivered the decisive spike to close out the opener 25-17.

The second set was a new beginning for Slovakia. Although Greece made the better start, Slovakia stayed within touching distance, refusing to let their opponents pull away. Putting Greece under constant pressure from the service line, with aces from Jakub Ihnat, Julius Firkal and Branislav Hanusek, Slovakia eventually took the lead at 16-14. Firkal continued to lead their attack, while Greece, playing under increasing pressure, began to commit more errors. In the decisive stage of the set, Hanusek delivered his second ace to make it 21-20 and spark a strong finish for Slovakia. Following some excellent work at the net, the Slovakians closed out the set 25-21 to level the match.

Greece were determined to bounce back, and great plays from Angelos Markou, who scored five points, and Lampros Pitakoudis, who added four, helped them race to a 10-6 lead. Slovakia tried to respond, with Branislav Hanusek producing an impressive block, but the Hellenic side began to dominate the court, extending their advantage to 14-9 through strong team play. With Alexandros Raptis at the service line, Greece pushed further ahead to 18-12. Slovakia, however, refused to give up. Martin Rendla, who had entered the court during this set, emerged as one of their leading scorers alongside Julius Firkal, and his ace reduced the deficit to just two points at 21-19. Greece then stepped up the pace in the closing stages, with Raptis delivering the decisive spike to seal the set 25-22 and put the Hellenic side 2-1 ahead.

Again, a strong service run from Theodoros Voulkidis helped Greece make a fast start, as the Hellenic side raced to an 8-4 lead. Lampros Pitakoudis, Alexandros Raptis and Angelos Markou were almost unstoppable in attack, helping Greece extend their advantage to 17-12. Slovakia fought hard until the end, but their efforts were not enough to stop Greece, who closed out the set 25-17 to secure third place in Pool A, while Slovakia finished the pool without a win.

Angelos Markou topped the scorers’ chart with 21 points, including 20 kills at 69% success and one ace. Lampros Pitakoudis added 17 points, with three blocks, one ace and 13 kills at 73% success. For Slovakia, Erik Gulak and Julius Firkal scored 14 points apiece.

Italy - Slovenia 3-2 (25-19, 25-22, 27-29, 19-25, 15-9)

As expected, the final match in Pool A between Italy and Slovenia had all the ingredients of a final, with first place in the group at stake. Slovenia needed a straight-set victory to overtake the hosts, while a 3-1 win would have left the pool winner to be determined by the point ratio. Any other result would guarantee Italy top spot. Slovenia entered the court with a changed line-up, with Rok Možič and Alen Pajenk rested and Tine Urnaut sidelined through injury. Despite the absences, the Slovenians put up a strong fight against the home favourites from the very beginning, even holding a narrow 12-10 advantage. Klemen Šen and Sašo Štalekar showed that they were not to be underestimated. With Yuri Romano at the service line and Daniele Lavia leading the attack - both contributing seven points in the set - Italy turned the score around to move 15-13 ahead and maintained their advantage. Romano then delivered the decisive touch, producing back-to-back aces to close out the set 25-19.

With Nik Mujanović at the service line and excellent work at the net, Slovenia raced to a 9-4 lead, with Nejc Najdič taking over the playmaking duties from the start of the set. Inspired by the home crowd, Italy responded through Daniele Lavia and Mattia Bottolo, while Simone Giannelli put Slovenia under pressure from the service line. The hosts not only levelled the score but also moved 13-12 ahead. To strengthen his team, coach Ferdinando De Giorgi sent Alessandro Michieletto onto the court, but Slovenia quickly restored their advantage, moving 16-14 ahead. Led by Mujanović, who scored seven points in the set, Slovenia maintained a two-point cushion at 19-17. Italy, however, refused to let the set slip away. Captain Giannelli delivered an ace to level the score at 20-20, before Bottolo’s service run and blocks from Pardo Mati helped the hosts surge to 24-21 and send the atmosphere in the stands into another gear. Mati then delivered the decisive spike to close out the set 25-22 and give Italy a 2-0 lead.

Coach De Giorgi decided to completely rotate his line-up. With Nejc Najdič at the service line, including one ace, Slovenia raced to a 4-0 lead and, despite Italy’s efforts, remained in front at 9-5. Alessandro Michieletto then sparked the hosts’ comeback from the service line, helping Italy gradually reduce the deficit to 11-9. Following excellent plays from Giovanni Sanguinetti and Michieletto at the net, Italy turned the score around to move 13-12 ahead. From that moment, the set developed into a thrilling point-for-point battle, with the teams level at 16-16. Nik Mujanović and Rok Bračko, who contributed four and six points in the set respectively, exchanged powerful spikes with Michieletto, who scored eight, and Kamil Rychlicki, who added six for Italy. It looked as though Italy had finally found the breakthrough when Luca Porro’s service run helped them move 21-19 ahead, but Slovenia responded immediately, they denied Italy’s match points and turned the set in their favour, with Klemen Šen delivering the decisive block to seal a dramatic 29-27 victory. Šen contributed five points in the set, keeping Slovenia alive in the match.

Slovenia carried their momentum into the fourth set, taking an early 8-5 lead. Italy tried to reduce the deficit, but the visitors remained in control at 13-10. Powered by Nik Mujanović, who contributed four kills, and Klemen Šen and Rok Bračko, who added three each, Slovenia maintained a safe distance from the hosts through the middle of the set. The Slovenians remained composed in the closing stages and confidently sealed the set 25-19 after Šen’s decisive spike, forcing a fifth set.

Italy quickly shook off the disappointment of the previous two sets, taking a 5-2 lead in the decider. Slovenia struggled from the service line, committing several errors that allowed the hosts to maintain control. An ace from Pardo Mati extended Italy’s advantage to 9-5, before Riccardo Sbertoli’s service run, combined with great plays from Sani and Giovanni Sanguinetti, helped the hosts race to 13-6. Kamil Rychlicki then delivered the decisive spike to close out the set 15-9, completing Italy’s 3-2 victory. The result saw the hosts finish the pool stage not only at the top of the standings, but also as the only unbeaten team in Pool A.

Kamil Rychlicki, who entered the court in the third set, finished the match with 13 points, all from attack at a 54% success rate. He was followed by Daniele Lavia, who played only the first two sets and contributed 12 points, while Yuri Romano added 11. For Slovenia, Nik Mujanović topped their scoring with 19 points, while Klemen Šen finished with 16.