Krastins crowns debut with emphatic #EuroLeagueM win over Romania

Team Latvia started the CEV Volleyball European League 2026 Men with a comprehensive victory in Riga on Friday, defeating last year’s World Championship participant Romania 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-22) in truly emphatic style. The team led by Ugis Krastins – making his debut at the helm of the group – will play again against Kosovo on Sunday.

“It was important to start with a win, so that as a team we could feel what it was like to win after a nine-month break. Every point we scored gave us a little push forward,” said newly appointed Latvian national team captain Kristaps Smits, who scored 10 points. Renars Pauls Jansons was the top scorer for the home team with 17 points, while setter Edvīns Skruders was named the best player of the match. Bela Florian Bartha and Alexandru Rata each scored 13 points for the visitors. 

Romania started the game better, making the first breakthrough with two aces. However, the Latvians soon seized the initiative and gained the decisive advantage in the middle of all three sets. Coach Krastins highlighted the serve, which was successful at the required level. 

“It was not that easy as it may seem. They also served well at the beginning of the game, surprised us a little with a type of serve that they had not used before. We were prepared for it to happen. It was important not to panic. We also played consistently with our block,” said the coach of the Latvian national team. “Only at the very end, when we started to feel the victory was close, did we allow them to score four points from our hands. It is clear that they had to take risks, they made mistakes and this made the end easier for us, when stress inevitably started to creep in.”

It was Ugis Krastins first official game as the head coach of the Latvian national team after a previous long tenure with Ukraine.

Captain Smits added that it was important to avoid own mistakes, as well as to keep the ball in play. “We covered the difficult balls with a block to create more opportunities to attack. The Romanians did not play well today. They said that there was little training due to local protests, but I think those are just excuses. No one goes on the court without motivation to win,” Smits emphasised.

Romania will play against Kosovo on Saturday at 6:00 pm, while the Latvian national team will face Kosovo on Sunday at 4:30 pm. 

#EuroLeagueM favourites Czechia and the Netherlands looked in full control of their matches with Hungary and North Macedonia as they cruised to comprehensive 3-0 wins while playing away from home. Sweden fought back from two sets down and claimed a dramatic third set to delight their home fans in Lund with a 3-2 victory over Greece as last year’s European Golden League champions Finland beat Austria 3-1 in Schwechat.

While the home team coached by Adam Swaczyna managed to surprise top-ranked Finland in the first set of their CEV European League opener at the Multiversum Schwechat Arena, they ultimately had no chance in the 1-3 (25-21, 12-25, 17-25, 16-25) defeat. At the start, the home team confirmed the excellent form they had displayed in previous test matches and secured an early lead. However, the momentum shifted in the second set. The reigning Golden League champions showcased their superior blocking skills, and the Austrian team simply could not find a way through. The Austrians were only able to keep sets three and four competitive in the early stages before last year’s World Championship Round of 16 participants pulled away once again. In total, the Finns recorded a remarkable 21 blocks. The top scorer for the Austrian national team in the 96-minute back-and-forth match was Superlega star Paul Buchegger with 15 points. The Austrian national team continues its European League campaign on Sunday when it faces Montenegro again in Schwechat. 

Austrian national team head coach Adam Swaczyna: “We started very aggressively and played smart Volleyball. Unfortunately, we could not maintain that level, and the Finns raised their game. We also struggled to find the best solutions. But the first set showed that we can challenge opponents like this.” 

Austrian opposite hitter Paul Buchegger: “The Finns certainly didn’t start at the level they finished at. We took advantage of that. Then they increased the pressure and caught us off guard. We can take some lessons from this match and have shown in the pre-season that we can serve and receive better. If we manage to do so, our whole game will be more consistent.” 

Finland head coach Olli Kunnari: “We were a bit impatient in the first set, and Austria played differently at the net than expected. After that, we made some adjustments to our attack. Our block and reception made the difference.”

Denmark, Israel, Spain, and Estonia were the other winners of the opening day as they got their #EuroLeagueM campaign off to a flying start. 

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