Sweden bow out with a win, Slovenia prevail over Czechia as Pool A race delivers more answers

Italy, Czechia, Slovenia and Greece have all secured their places in the knockout stage of CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men, although the final positions in Pool A are yet to be decided, with unbeaten Italy sitting at the top of the standings. The first match on Wednesday at the Palapanini in Modena proved decisive for the teams’ fate. Sweden, returning to EuroVolley for the first time since 1993, earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Slovakia to finish their campaign with a first win, while also ending Slovakia’s hopes of progressing to the next stage. In the second match of the day, Slovenia prevailed over Czechia after another thrilling battle, moving into second place in the pool ahead of their final pool-stage clash against Italy.

Sweden vs Slovakia 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-19)

Both Sweden and Slovakia were seeking their first win of the campaign, but their situations could not have been more different. For Sweden, this was their final match at EuroVolley and their last chance to claim a victory, although they could no longer progress to the knockout stage. Slovakia, meanwhile, had no room for error, knowing they needed three points to keep their hopes of advancing alive. The game therefore began as a tight race, with neither side able to establish a significant advantage. An ace from Erik Gulak gave Slovakia the first opening, putting them 7-5 ahead. Backed by excellent reception at 73% positive and a high attack success rate (67%), they extended their lead to 11-8, but Sweden quickly began to chase. Led by Axel Enlund, who scored six points in the set, the Swedes cut the deficit to just one point at 12-11 after his powerful spike. Slovakia responded immediately, with Gulak (six points in the set) and Martin Rendla (four), leading the charge as they regained control and moved 21-17 ahead. An ace from Daniel Sellong gave Slovakia a series of set points, and they made no mistake, closing out the opener 25-19.

Led by captain Jakub Ihnát, Slovakia raced to an 11-8 lead after his ace, but Sweden continued to apply pressure and refused to let their opponents pull away. Ihnát was unstoppable in the set, contributing 10 points, and his block on Hampus Ekstrand helped Slovakia extend their advantage to 16-12. The set, however, was far from decided. Sweden’s duo of Jakob Ekman and Jacob Link, who scored five and six points respectively, kept their team within touching distance, cutting the deficit to 19-18. Two consecutive rallies finished with an Ekman block and then a powerful spike, turning the score around to give Sweden a 22-21 lead. The momentum had shifted completely, as Sweden pushed further ahead to 24-22. Ekman then delivered once again, unleashing a powerful spike to close out the set 25-23 and level the match.

Slovakia had no more room for error, as dropping another set would mean losing their chance to progress from the pool. Both sides remained motivated and focused, and neither could establish a significant advantage in the opening stages. Slovakia, however, struggled from the service line (eight missed serves in the set), which made it difficult for them to put Sweden under sustained pressure. The situation changed when Jacob Link’s powerful spike put Sweden 17-14 ahead. Despite Slovakia’s best efforts, they were unable to close the gap, with Sweden maintaining control at 21-18 before completing the comeback and closing out the set 25-21. Axel Enlund and Jacob Link led Sweden’s scoring in the set with four points apiece, putting their team one set away from victory.

Slovakia made a strong start to the fourth set, taking an early two-point lead, but Sweden quickly erased the deficit and levelled the score at 11-11. An ace from Erik Gulák restored Slovakia’s advantage at 14-12, but Sweden refused to give up, determined to leave the tournament with a victory. Excellent plays from Jakob Ekman and Jacob Link helped Sweden turn the score around and move 17-15 ahead. Axel Algulin then took charge from the service line, including an ace in a strong run that extended the advantage to 21-16. Determined to close out the match, Sweden maintained control through the closing stages. Slovakia fought until the very end, saving three match points with some impressive blocking, but Ekman finally delivered the decisive spike to seal the set 25-19. Sweden therefore ended their EuroVolley campaign with a victory, while Slovakia saw their hopes of progressing to the next stage disappear.

Team captain Jacob Link topped Sweden’s scoring with 16 points, including 15 kills at 54% success and one block. Jakob Ekman and Axel Lund added 15 and 14 points respectively, while Erik Gulák finished as the match’s top scorer with 19 points.

Czechia vs Slovenia 1-3 (26-24, 13-25, 25-27, 23-25)

The race for second place in Pool A heated up as Czechia and Slovenia, both with one loss, went head-to-head in Modena. Czechia had suffered their defeat a day earlier against Italy, while Slovenia, with one more match still to play, had unexpectedly fallen to Greece. The game started at an exceptionally high level, with both sides showcasing their full potential. Rok Možič and Tine Urnaut stood out for Slovenia, while Patrik Indra led Czechia’s offensive efforts. Slovenia gained a slight advantage early on, moving 8-5 ahead, but Czechia fought back and levelled the score at 13-13 following an ace from Antonin Klimes. The point-by-point battle remained fiercely contested as the set entered its decisive stages, but Slovenia then suffered a setback with the loss of Urnaut. Despite his absence, the Slovenians continued to fight, staying just one point behind as Možič, who scored seven points in the set, and Nik Mujanović, with five, kept them in contention. An ace from Lukas Vašina brought Czechia level once again (22-22), before Indra took centre stage. The Czech opposite delivered when it mattered most, scoring the final point to seal a thrilling 26-24 set victory after contributing eight points.

After losing the opening set, Slovenia responded with a powerful performance, putting tremendous pressure on Czechia from the service line. Great service run from Jan Kozamernik, and aces from Nik Mujanović and Rok Bračko helped the Slovenians race to a commanding 13-5 lead, which they extended further to 19-8 as they dominated in every element of the game. Slovenia combined five blocks with an impressive 72% attack success rate, leaving Czechia struggling to find answers. Mujanović contributed seven points, converting all four of his attacks, while Možič was equally flawless with three kills from three attempts. It was Možič who delivered the final point, sealing a dominant 25-13 set victory and levelling the match.

Czechia quickly shook off the setback and returned to the court with renewed energy, producing another fierce battle. After great plays from Jakub Klajmon and Jiri Benda, the Czechs took a 14-11 lead. Although Slovenia reduced the gap, powerful spikes from Patrik Indra, who scored four points in the set, and Benda, who added six, helped Czechia restore their advantage at 17-14. Slovenia responded with a powerful service run from Nik Mujanović, including an ace, to level the score at 17-17 and set up another dramatic finish. Mujanović and Rok Možič led Slovenia’s attack with six and five points respectively, as the 2023 bronze medallists held their nerve in a thrilling finale. A winning serve from Rok Bračko finally gave Slovenia the decisive point, allowing them to claim the set 27-25 and move 2-1 ahead.

The tight battle continued into the fourth set, with neither side able to gain an advantage until 9-9. Slovenia then began to make their presence felt at the net, with Jan Kozamernik contributing both blocks and powerful attacks from the middle to help his team move 14-11 ahead. Jiří Benda sparked a Czech comeback, scoring through both the block and from the service line as Czechia closed the gap to 14-13. Slovenia, however, remained determined to turn the set in their favour. Rok Bračko emerged as one of their heroes, scoring an impressive eight points in the set at 70% attack success. With successful plays from Rok Možič and Nik Mujanović, Slovenia extended their advantage to 22-19. Czechia made one final push, with an ace from Matěj Páštrňák bringing them within one point at 23-22, but Bračko held his nerve to deliver the decisive point and close out the set 25-23.

Mujanović topped the scorers’ chart with 21 points, including two aces, three blocks and 15 kills at 48% success. Možič added 17 points, while Kozamernik and Alen Pajenk contributed 11 apiece, with Kozamernik recording three blocks. For Czechia, Patrik Indra finished with 16 points and Benda added 15.