Latvia takes a set off Olympic champions France at European Championship

Latvia's men's national volleyball team lost 1-3 (12:25, 16:25, 25:22, 13:25) to France on Sunday in their third Group D match of the European Championship in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. France are the reigning champions from the last two Olympic Games.

In the first set, Latvia took an early lead before France surged ahead and closed out the set convincingly. France also controlled the second set from the start. The picture changed in the third set, with Latvia leading for most of it and holding on for the win despite a late French rally. France then regained control in the fourth set to seal the match.

Group standings

In another Group D match, Turkey defeated Switzerland 3-0. After three rounds, France lead the group with nine points, followed by Germany with eight, Romania with four, while Turkey and Latvia each have three points. Switzerland remain pointless.

Latvia opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over Romania before losing 0-3 to Germany in their second match. Latvia currently rank 46th in the world rankings, while France sit seventh.

Latvia will face Switzerland on Tuesday and Turkey on Wednesday in their remaining Group D matches. The team's captain is Kristaps Šmits, with Uģis Krastiņš serving as head coach.

The European Championship runs from September 9 to 26 across Bulgaria, Romania, Finland and Italy. The top four teams from Group D will advance to the round of 16, to be played in Turin and Sofia, with medals awarded in Milan. Latvia secured their spot in the final tournament last August through qualifying, finishing second behind Slovakia — marking the national team's third appearance at the European Championship finals.