Romania stun France as Latvia rise to reach the knockout stage

The final day in Pool D delivered two very different celebrations in Cluj-Napoca, as Romania produced a memorable five-set comeback against France while Latvia secured their place in the knockout stage with a hard-fought victory over Türkiye. With one side signing off their home campaign in style and the other achieving their main tournament objective, both matches provided a dramatic conclusion to the pool stage. In the eighth finals, France will play Portugal, who finished fourth in Pool B, whereas Romania will take on Pool B runners-up Ukraine. 

Türkiye vs Latvia 1-3 (24-26, 25-23, 24-26, 16-25)

Latvia are heading to Sofia.

With their EuroVolley journey on the line, Uģis Krastiņš’ side delivered when it mattered most, defeating Türkiye 3-1 to secure their place in the knockout stage of CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men.

It was a match carrying very different weight from anything Latvia had played so far in Cluj-Napoca. There was no longer much room for calculations or promises of what this team might become. They needed a result, and they found one.

The first two sets showed exactly how fine the margins were. Türkiye refused to let them have it easily. 
But Latvia’s response was emphatic. Rather than allowing the missed opportunity to linger, they took command of the fourth. The pressure that had surrounded the match seemed to disappear as Latvia pulled away, closing the set 25-16 and beginning the celebrations of a place in the next stage.

Renārs Pauls Jansons led Latvia with 19 points. Latvia also produced eight blocks and five aces, but the victory was as much about their ability to manage the decisive moments as it was about the numbers.

For Jānis Eduards Medenis, the significance went far beyond one match.

“We achieved our main goal. Our main goal was to reach the playoffs, and we did it,” Medenis said. “This is a sensational moment for Latvian Volleyball, for the Volleyball Federation and for the whole country. It is just an amazing feeling.”

His words also returned to everything that happened before Latvia arrived in Cluj-Napoca, the work away from the matches and the moments supporters never got to see.

“We showed our emotions, we showed everything we did during the summer, all the hard work that people didn’t see,” Medenis continued. “Today we did incredible things, and that’s why we reached our main goal, the playoffs.”

Latvia’s route through Pool D has rarely been straightforward. They opened with a victory over hosts Romania, endured difficult nights against Germany and Switzerland and even became the first team in the pool to take a set from France.

Through all of it, their players repeatedly spoke about growing together and finding ways to fight through difficult moments.

Against Türkiye, with their tournament depending on it, that growth finally had its reward.

The celebrations can last for a little while. Then comes Sofia, and a completely different challenge.

Or, as Medenis put it with a smile: “The fun is only starting.”

France vs Romania 2-3 (25-16, 27-25, 20-25, 33-35, 12-15)

Romania could hardly have chosen a more dramatic way to close their Pool D campaign at CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men.

In their fifth match in a matter of days, with excitement accumulating and double Olympic champions France standing across the net, the hosts found enough energy for one final push, coming through a five-set battle to finish their week in Cluj-Napoca on a remarkable high.

France arrived having already secured first place in the pool and Andrea Giani used the opportunity to give responsibility to different players. For two sets, the decision appeared to be working exactly as planned.

France established a 2-0 advantage and seemed on course to complete the pool stage without defeat.
Romania had other ideas.

Rather than allowing the match to drift away, Sergiu Stancu’s side found another gear. Backed once more by the home support, they dragged France into a longer and increasingly complicated contest, turning what had looked like a straightforward evening for the pool leaders into a fifth-set fight.

For Stancu, the performance said as much about his players’ resilience as the result itself.

“I want to congratulate my guys because it’s the fifth game in a few days and they got over the tiredness and everything,” he said. “It’s not easy to win in five sets against a double Olympic champion.”

The Romanian coach reserved particular praise for 21-year-old David Emilian Taranu Runcan, who was trusted throughout the match.

“I’m so happy for Runcan because at 21 years old he played the whole game. He’s a great player, and I really think Romania has great potential and a bright future.”

For France, the defeat brought a different kind of lesson before the knockout rounds.

Giani was pleased with the contribution of the players brought into the starting line-up, but less satisfied with the moments when France had opportunities to finish the contest.

“We prepared the match well and, for me, the substitute players entered the match well. We were 2-0 in front,” Giani said. “But when the match opened, especially in the fourth set, we had the ball to close the match. This is the part we need to improve and learn from.”

The French coach pointed to serving, reception, attack and blocking in those decisive moments, insisting that his entire squad must be capable of carrying responsibility.

“The team needs to play and win regardless of whether you are a substitute player,” he explained. “If you use the same players every time, in the end you can have two or three injured players. The players need rhythm. These kinds of matches are needed. I give them the chance and I give them responsibility.”

And perhaps that was a fitting way for Pool D to finish.

France leave Cluj-Napoca as pool winners, but with a reminder that there is still room to improve before the matches become unforgiving. Romania leave with something rather different: qualification already secured, a young player trusted on the big stage, and a five-set victory over the double Olympic champions to carry with them.

As Giani put it, sometimes losing is precisely when a team discovers where it can still get better.