Greece stun Slovenia, Indra powers Czechia to third win

The clash between neighbouring countries Czechia and Slovakia opened the fourth day of action at the Palapanini in Modena. Powered by an unstoppable Patrik Indra, Czechia delivered an almost flawless performance to cruise to a straight-set victory and secure their third win of the tournament - enough to guarantee their place in the knockout stage alongside hosts Italy. In the second match of the day, the biggest sensation of Pool A unfolded as Greece stunned bronze medallists Slovenia 3-1, earning a historic victory and putting themselves firmly in contention for a place in the knockout stage.

Slovakia - Czechia 0-3 (21-25, 14-25, 20-25)

Slovakia and Czechia are no strangers to each other. The two neighbouring countries even played two friendly matches at the beginning of the summer, so both sides were highly motivated for this derby, especially Slovakia, who were chasing their first victory after taking a set from Italy on Sunday. On one side, the duo of Lukas Vašina and Patrik Indra, and on the other, Julius Firkal and Erik Gulak, exchanged powerful spikes as the teams battled point for point. Slovakia were the first to establish a two-point lead, with Daniel Sellong’s attack making it 14-12. Czechia quickly levelled the score, however, before an impressive service run from Antonín Klimens, which started with an ace, helped them surge to a 22-18 advantage. Slovakia tried to fight their way back, but Vašina proved unstoppable, scoring nine points in the set at an outstanding 89% attack success rate. The Czech outside hitter then delivered the decisive blow to close out the set 25-21.

The second set was complete domination from Czechia. Back-to-back aces from Matouš Drahonovský gave the Czechs an early 3-0 lead, which they quickly extended to 11-3 with Lukas Vašina at the service line. Slovakia struggled to find an answer to Czechia’s powerful and precisely placed attacks, as they surged further ahead to 16-5. Czechia were almost flawless offensively, finishing the set with an impressive 79% attack success rate, while also putting Slovakia under constant pressure from the service line with five aces. There was no way back for Slovakia, as Czechia comfortably closed out the set 25-14 to move within one set of victory.

Although Slovakia tried their best to stay in the fight, Czechia maintained control, powered by Patrik Indra, Lukas Vašina and Antonín Klímens. They raced to a 9-4 lead and quickly extended it to 13-7, combining effective blocking with powerful attacking. Erik Gulak, who scored six kills in the set, and Andrej Billich helped Slovakia fight their way back to 20-17, but Czechia once again showed their strength in the decisive stage. They closed out the set 25-20 to seal their third victory of the tournament.

Patrik Indra topped the scorers’ chart with 18 points, including one ace, one block and 16 kills at an impressive 84% success rate. Lukas Vašina added 13 points, with 12 kills at 80%, while Erik Gulak led Slovakia with 13 points.

Slovenia vs Greece 1-3 (18-25, 25-19, 23-25, 20-25)

After Greece’s impressive performances in their previous matches, Slovenia started with Rok Mozic and Tine Urnaut back in the line-up. It was Greece, however, who made the brighter start, taking a 5-2 lead after an ace from Athanasios Protopsaltis. Slovenia tried to respond, but the Hellenic side continued to dictate the pace of the set. Powered by Dimitrios Mouchlias and Alexandros Raptis, who scored four points apiece in the opener, Greece gradually pulled away, extending their advantage to 18-11. Applying constant pressure from the service line and in attack, Greece never allowed Slovenia to find their rhythm and comfortably closed the opening set 25-18.

The second set started as a tight race, with Nik Mujanović leading Slovenia with seven points and Dimitrios Mouchlias carrying Greece with six in this set. A block from Jan Kozamernik on Raptis sparked Slovenia’s first attempt to break away at 13-11, but Greece responded quickly to keep the battle close. It was only later in the set that Slovenia managed to create a more comfortable advantage. A strong service run from Mujanović helped them move 18-15 ahead, before Tine Urnaut’s attack extended the lead to 22-16. Slovenia maintained control through the closing rallies, with Mujanović delivering the decisive spike to seal the set 25-19 and level the match.

The fierce battle resumed at the beginning of the third set, with Slovenia briefly establishing a two-point advantage before Greece quickly responded and kept pace with the bronze medallists. An ace from Rok Možič put Slovenia 15-12 ahead, but Greece continued to play fearlessly, fighting their way back to level at 18-18 following attacks from Angelos Markou and Athanasios Protopsaltis. Možič, who scored seven points in the set, then stepped up again, first with a powerful spike and then an ace to put Slovenia 23-21 in front. Greece, however, refused to surrender. They levelled the score once again before two blocks and a decisive spike from Theodoros Voulkidis turned the set in their favour, with Greece closing it out 25-23 to move within one set of sensational victory.

Greece took an early 5–1 lead, but Slovenia quickly turned things around thanks to a service run from Nejc Najdič, with Slovenia jumping ahead 7–5. Greece responded immediately, with powerful spikes from Angelos Markou helping the Hellenic side regain the lead at 10–9. Markou, who entered the match as a substitute in the third set, stayed on court to start the fourth in the starting six, and his impact continued to grow. His attack, followed by blocks from Voulkidis and Raptis, helped Greece build a significant 18–14 advantage - one they would not let slip.
Markou scored eight points in the set, but it was Alexandros Raptis who had the honour of sealing Greece’s historic victory at 25–20.

Dimitrios Mouchlias led Greece’s scoring with 12 points, while Angelos Markou added 10 after taking over from Mouchlias in the fourth set. Raptis contributed 11 points. For Slovenia, Nik Mujanović was the standout scorer with 20 points.