Home favourites Italy progress to #EuroVolleyU18M semis

On Wednesday, the last pool matches were contested at #EuroVolleyU18M with hosts Italy joining Poland, France and Bulgaria in the semis – as these three teams had already qualified for the next stage of the competition with one match to spare. France eventually claimed first place in Pool II in Cisterna di Latina, as Bulgaria took only one point from their 2-3 loss to Spain. Italy beat Türkiye 3-1 to secure their spot in the semis – with Poland topping the standings of Pool I in Porto San Giorgio with seven wins in as many matches. On Friday, Poland will play Bulgaria in the first semi-final at 5 pm local time, followed by the matchup between France and Italy at 7:30 pm. The medal matches will subsequently follow on Saturday, July 18. 

Pool I in Porto San Giorgio

The final day of Pool I action started with a victory for Slovenia, who quickly regrouped after their loss to Italy the previous day and defeated Finland 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 25-20). In the second match of the day, Greece easily defeated Iceland 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-18), while in the third match, Poland finished their job with a perfect record of seven wins in as many matches thanks to a 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-16) shutout of Serbia. Italy progressed to the semis as well. After Tuesday’s crucial victory against Slovenia, the Azzurrini also defeated Türkiye 3-1 (26-24, 25-17, 14-25, 25-21) in the seventh and final match of Pool I, thus qualifying for the semi-finals of the continental tournament where they will face France. With this result, Italy have also qualified for next year’s U19 World Championship – a feat they share with Poland, Slovenia, France, Bulgaria, and Spain. 

Pool II in Cisterna di Latina 

Belgium took to the court having no goals other than to finish the pool with dignity. France – already qualified for the semi-finals – played with the intention of finishing the match in three sets, so as to put pressure on Bulgaria for first place in the group. The Bleus did their job, but Belgium fought until the end and especially in the third set France had to work hard to win the match 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 29-27). 
France coach Paul Cooper: “Reaching the semi-finals is a significant achievement, especially since we have had several injuries and important absences. After the opening-round loss against Bulgaria, we fought back well. We will face Italy in a venue that will be cheering against us. It will not be easy, but only the court will tell the truth; there is no point in talking first. I am worried about fatigue; we have given so much so far: it will be crucial to recover as much energy as possible.” 
Cooper also spoke about Noa Duflos-Rossi, who is due to play in Cisterna di Latina this coming season: “I am very happy for him; at his age, you need to play, be on the court, and gain experience to improve. Noa is very young and incredibly talented, but in Civitanova, in his first year in the SuperLega, he played very little. I think it was an excellent choice for him to come and play here in Cisterna, where there is also a great venue.” 

Later in the day, Germany prevailed in a tie-break against Romania after a match between two teams that played without any pressure. The match was consistently led by the Germans, and the Romanians deserved credit for never giving up: in the fifth set, Dominic von Kanel’s team had a better start and did well to hold off the Romanian comeback to seal a 3-2 win (25-22, 20-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-10) and finish the competition on a record of four wins and three losses. 
Czechia closed out their European Championship campaign with a four-set victory (25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 25-20) over the Netherlands, who finished the tournament without a single point in the standings. 

Later in the evening, the crowd immediately realised that it was not going to be an easy night for Bulgaria: Spain, taking to the court without pressure, playing their best Volleyball, and with the contribution of their star player Roger Monzo Luengo (36 points in the end), took home the first set. And after losing the second, they managed to prevail in the third. The match was spectacular, with Bulgaria finding the strength to take it to a tiebreak, where the Spaniards ultimately prevailed. 

Valentino Mantini, Mayor of Cisterna commented at the end of the competition: "This U18 European Championship meant so much to Cisterna, with young talents and champions of tomorrow competing in our Palasport. I want to thank the many people who worked hard to make it happen and for delivering such an important and successful event. It was an honour and a privilege to present the Cisterna crest to Giovanna Sassi, representing the President of the Italian Volleyball Federation, Giuseppe Manfredi. Volleyball is a sport that embodies ethical and moral values in their highest expression.”