Poland remain unbeaten as Portugal wrap up Pool B campaign with a win

Portugal finished their CEV Enel EuroVolley Men 2026 Pool B campaign on a positive note as, on their last matchday in the group stage, they left no doubts over who was the better team on the court, outclassing in three sets the team of North Macedonia. 

In the other matchup of the day, Poland locked horns with Ukraine. The two teams were unbeaten in the group before the clash, but the players of Nikola Grbic proved better and disappointed the Ukrainian side 3-0.

North Macedonia vs Portugal 0-3 (13-25, 20-25, 20-25)

Portugal took control of the opening set early, establishing a 6-3 edge and extending it through steady play at 8-6. As the set progressed, Portugal widened the gap to 17-10 and 18-11, superior across all fundamental elements and particularly dominant at the net, while North Macedonia struggled to find rhythm and succumbed to unforced errors. Portugal never looked back, comfortably closing out the set.

Portugal's setter Bruno Dias ran a fluid offence backed by an impressive 75% positive reception rate, compared to North Macedonia’s 40%. This strong passing platform allowed Portugal to out-attack North Macedonia 52% to 25%. Portugal also made their presence felt at the net and from the baseline, racking up seven kill blocks to one and adding two aces to zero.

North Macedonia grabbed an early lead in the second set, but a brief lapse in concentration allowed Portugal to capitalise on strong defensive plays and level the score at 5-5. The teams then locked into a tight, point-for-point battle, with North Macedonia nudging ahead 11-8 to force a Portuguese timeout. Portugal responded out of the break to regain control at 15-13, but North Macedonia fought back to tie it at 16-16. Two consecutive attacks from Lourenço Martins swung the momentum to Portugal at 18-16, and despite a strong central push from Aleksandar Ljaftov down the stretch, Portugal pulled away to claim the set 25-20.

North Macedonia showed clear progress at the net in the second frame, stepping up their defensive presence with four kill blocks while holding Portugal without a single block. However, Portugal's offensive rhythm remained untamed, executing at a potent 58% in attack compared to Joško Milenkoski’s squad, who managed only a slight improvement to 36%.

North Macedonia started strong in the third set, jumping to early leads of 2-0 and 4-1. However, Portugal gradually turned the tables, showing greater resilience to win the long rallies and claim the decisive points down the stretch to close out the set and secure a straight-sets victory.

Across the entire match, Portugal outclassed North Macedonia in every fundamental element, out-attacking them 51% to 35% and controlling the backcourt with a 66% to 44% advantage in positive reception. Portugal also dominated both at the net with 11 kill blocks to seven and from the service line with three aces to zero. 

Alexandre Ferreira led the Portuguese effort as the match's top scorer, putting up 17 points with a 57% attack efficiency and an ace, while Stojan Iliev and Aleksandar Ljaftov paced North Macedonia with eight points each.

Poland vs Ukraine 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-22)

Poland stormed out of the gate in the opening set, establishing a commanding 8-1 lead behind relentless baseline pressure. Although Ukraine gradually found their footing to narrow the deficit to 10-6, the reigning champions maintained firm control over the rhythm of the game, answering every Ukrainian push to close out the frame 25-20.

Poland's early dominance was driven by elite offensive execution, out-attacking Ukraine 65% to 33%. While both sides showed room for improvement in passing quality - posting 40% to 38% positive reception in favour of Poland - Ukraine held a slight edge at the net with five kill blocks to four, while Poland maintained the advantage from the service line with three aces to two.

The Polish dominance continued unimpeded in the second set, as the Poles broke away early to build a 10-5 advantage. Pushing the pace and leaving the Ukrainian defence without answers, Poland expanded the margin to 18-10 and 20-10, comfortably sailing to a 25-13 win to double their lead in the match.

The Polish offence operated at a near-flawless level, recording an extraordinary 89% attack execution against Ukraine’s 50%. Poland also controlled the backcourt and service line, holding a 45% to 28% advantage in positive reception and landing three aces to none.

The third set delivered a much tighter, point-for-point battle in the early going, locked at 6-6, 9-9, and through to 13-13 and 15-15. Poland managed to neutralise Oleh Plotnytskyi’s dangerous service runs, while Wilfredo León came up big to finish key transition attacks. Supported by sharp defensive play, Poland broke away after the 20th point, seizing full control down the stretch to secure the set and seal a straight-sets victory.

Across the match, Poland’s offensive efficiency proved overwhelming, out-attacking Ukraine 68% to 39% and dominating from the service line with eight aces to two. Passing numbers remained nearly even at 38% to 37% positive reception in Poland's favour, while Ukraine held a narrow edge at the net with seven kill blocks to six. Opposite Bartłomiej Bołądz led the Polish attack, finishing as the match's top scorer with 20 points.