Türkiye finally getting on the board while France are tested for the first time

Türkiye got their CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men campaign moving with a straight-set victory over Switzerland, while France extended their unbeaten run against Latvia in a match that saw the tournament favourites finally drop their first set in Cluj-Napoca.

Switzerland vs Türkiye 0-3 (23-25, 19-25, 19-25)

Türkiye claimed their first victory at CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men on Sunday, overcoming Switzerland in straight sets to get their Pool D campaign moving in Cluj-Napoca.

After opening the tournament against Germany and France, Türkiye came into their third match still searching for a first win. Switzerland were in the same position, and for much of the opening set there was little between the two sides.

The Swiss had opportunities to take control and stayed in front at different stages, but Türkiye were more composed when the set reached its decisive points. They edged it 25-23, and from there the match began to move in a different direction.

“The small things, mostly,” Switzerland’s Julian Weisigk said when asked what had been missing. “We had a lot of chances in the first set to take it, and it would have been a completely different match if we had.”

For Weisigk, letting that opportunity slip also stayed with Switzerland longer than it should have.

“Realising that we had the chance and we didn't take it probably held us back,” he admitted. “We did a lot of imprecise things, and at this level you have to be precise to compete.”

Türkiye made sure those mistakes became increasingly expensive.

Slobodan Kovač's team took the second set 25-19 and repeated the score in the third, with Adis Lagumdžija leading the way on 17 points. Türkiye also found an important advantage at the net, finishing with 10 blocks to Switzerland's one, while converting 50% of their attacks.

The result brought some relief after two difficult opening matches, but Kovač was already looking forward rather than back.

“We must focus on playing better Volleyball because everything is possible. First, we must find our game,” the Türkiye head coach said.

There was also a more personal reason for Kovač to enjoy the result: the victory arrived on his birthday.
Before the match, he had one request for his players.

“I told them, ‘I don't want to be nervous today because it's my birthday,’” he joked afterwards, before admitting that they did not always make that wish easy to fulfil.

The three points nevertheless made for a welcome birthday present and, more importantly, changed the direction of Türkiye's tournament.

For Switzerland, the wait for a first victory continues. There were again passages showing what Juan Manuel Serramalera's side can produce, particularly in the opening set, but the margins that decide matches at this level proved unforgiving.

For Türkiye, after two matches spent chasing their first result, the task now is different.

Latvia vs France 1-3 (12-25, 16-25, 25-22, 13-25)

France maintained their unbeaten start to CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men on Sunday, but Latvia made sure their third victory in Cluj-Napoca would not come quite as smoothly as the previous two.

Andrea Giani’s side prevailed 3-1, moving to three wins from three in Pool D. Yet after six consecutive sets won against Switzerland and Türkiye, France finally surrendered one as Latvia produced a spirited response in the third.

France started with changes to their line-up, but there was little disruption to their rhythm. They immediately put Latvia under pressure with their serve and block, racing through the opening set 25-12 before taking the second 25-16.

For Giani, the aggressive approach was precisely what France had wanted.

“The approach of the team in this match was very aggressive,” the French head coach said. “We worked very, very well in serve, block and defence.”

The numbers reflected that control. France finished the match with an imposing 20 blocks, while Latvia managed five. Mathis Henno led France with 16 points, including two blocks.

But Latvia did not disappear.

With little to protect and two sets already gone, Uģis Krastiņš’ team began playing with greater freedom in the third. Their defence started producing extra opportunities, their serving caused more problems and, crucially, they began finding ways around the French block.

“We had nothing to lose, so we put all our strength into this set,” Latvia libero Kaspars Kronbergs said. “We took some defences, we had some nice blocks and we served well. One set for us is a big thing.”

France contributed to the shift too. After two controlled sets, errors began creeping into their game.

“In the third set something changed because we made mistakes in block and attack, and in that moment we gave them the opportunity to re-enter the match,” Giani explained.

Latvia took it.

They closed the third 25-22, becoming the first team in Pool D to take a set from France at this EuroVolley.
Asked afterwards what Latvia had done differently, setter Edvīns Skrūders initially offered a rather simpler analysis.

“We played better,” he said, before Kronbergs added with a laugh: “We scored 25 points faster than them.”

Behind the joke was a genuine tactical problem Latvia had finally begun solving.

“Mostly in attack, we had some better solutions than in the sets that we lost,” Skrūders said. “Against this block, they had 20 blocks in four sets; we had to find better solutions pretty often. The overall game of our team was better in set three.”

Latvia’s resistance prompted an immediate reaction. France regained control at the beginning of the fourth and this time did not allow their opponents another route back, closing it 25-13.

“In the fourth set we came back with good technical focus,” Giani said. “We started to work very well again on the break, and the match was finished.”

France therefore remain perfect in the win column after three Pool D matches, although Latvia ensured that one other perfect record disappeared on Sunday.

For the first time in Cluj-Napoca, France were made to lose a set, reset and find their way back.

And for Latvia, even in defeat, the third set offered another reminder of the fighting spirit this team has brought to EuroVolley.