Italy travel to Brno for the 8th Finals from first place in the pool

POOL D – Italy vs France    3–1 (25–19, 19–25, 25–23, 25–19)

In a match full of twists and turns, and marked by the unfortunate right ankle injury suffered by France’s outside hitter Halimatou Bah, Italy showed greater energy on the court to claim a victory that secured first place in Pool D in Göteborg. The result also means that Italy will face the fourth-placed team from Pool B in the 8th Finals in Brno. Things were heating up in Pool D of the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women, as France took on world champions Italy, with both teams fighting for the top spot in Pool D. In the end, Paola Egonu helped her team to a 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 25-19) victory, scoring a total of 20 points.

It was finally time for the top teams in Pool D to battle it out on court. Going into the match, neither team had lost a single set, with both dominating all their previous matches 3-0.
Italy opened the first set strongly, claiming the first three points and building an early lead. France regained their momentum, with Juliette Gelin fighting for every ball in defence. Yet Italy managed to maintain their lead, staying a few points ahead. At 18-17, France’s Halimatou Bah sustained an injury and had to leave the court, with Lilou Ratahiry coming on in her place. After many long and hard-fought rallies, Italy won the first set 25-19.

The second set was even from the start, with the teams exchanging points back and forth. However, France showed their strength early in the set, forcing Italy to take a timeout at 7-4. France’s libero Juliette Gelin was accidentally hit in the head by a ball, but was able to return to the court after a timeout at 18-13. Extending their lead, France claimed the second set 25-19. Cyrielle Depie was the top scorer in the second set, with eight points.
Entering the third set, with each team having won one set, the game was anyone’s to win. It would come down to which team made the fewest mistakes. After the referee overturned the call following a previously successful French challenge, tensions rose on court, resulting in a yellow card for France. Losing the following point, France took a timeout and tried to change things up with a series of substitutions. However, they were forced to take their second timeout shortly afterwards at 16-14. Italy shifted gears at this stage and went on to win the set 25-23.
The teams were equally eager to win the fourth set. Italy wanted to wrap up the match and secure the top spot in Pool D, while France needed to push the game to a fifth set to keep their hopes of finishing first alive. In the midst of a rally, France’s Cyrielle Depie was hit in the head by a ball but was able to continue playing.
Even though the teams fought hard and stayed close throughout most of the set, Italy were able to wrap up the match with a block by Sarah Fahr, winning the set 25-19.
Paola Egonu played a key role in Italy’s victory, scoring 20 points in total. France’s middle blocker Eva Elouga was the match’s best blocker, finishing with eight blocks.