Montenegro put up a fight, as Bulgaria and Italy make it five wins in a row at #EuroVolleyU17M

On Monday, the home heroes of Montenegro lost to Belgium 3-0 (28-26, 25-15, 25-16) in a match where they displayed their best performance so far and deserved even more. The fifth #EuroVolleyU17M competition day in Podgorica was marked by the fifth straight victory for Bulgaria and Italy, with both teams taking significant steps towards reaching the semifinals.

In the opening set of their fifth match in the tournament, Montenegro delivered a very impressive performance. Although Belgium took an early lead, Montenegro managed to keep up and took their first lead at 9-8. However, the advantage was short-lived, and despite the efforts of Darko Prebiračević’s players, Belgium managed to equalise at 24-24, and they eventually won the set 28-26. The second set had a different development. After Montenegro initially edged ahead, Belgium took control with three consecutive points, moving the score to 5-3, and gradually extended their advantage to a landslide 25-15. In the final set, Montenegro managed to put up more resistance. Vuk Stanojević and his teammates were chasing Belgium in the early stages and took their first lead at 12-11. However, they could not maintain it, and Belgium went on an 11-1 run to dominate the set, ultimately winning it 25-16. The most efficient player for Montenegro was the opposite hitter Luka Lojić, who scored 19 points. Belgium had four players in double digits, with Niels Coppieters and Viktor Speltinckx both scoring 12 times. 
 
Coach Prebiračević acknowledged the strength of Belgium as one of the main contenders to progress further in the championship, considering their excellent performance against Türkiye. He praised his team’s efforts and believed that they deserved to win the first set. He also called on the fans to support the young home team in their last two matches of the championship.

The next opponent for Montenegro is Bulgaria on July 26 at 8 pm, with coverage on MNE sport TV. Bulgaria practically secured a place in the semifinals with a 3-1 victory over Türkiye. 
 
Slovenia retained a chance to advance further with a confident 3-0 victory over Austria, as did Greece, who won a thrilling match against Estonia 3-2. The only team without a defeat in the U17 European Championship in Podgorica, alongside Bulgaria, is Italy, who won a Latin derby against Spain 3-2. Spain’s loss has left the door open for Poland and France. Poland defeated Czechia 3-0, while France also won 3-0 against the Netherlands. Finland secured their third victory in the tournament with a 3-1 shutout of Serbia.