Poland claims third European volleyball title, edging out France in tense final
Poland's men's national volleyball team defeated France 3-1 in the European Championship final held in Milan, securing its third continental title. Finland claimed a historic first-ever medal by beating Slovenia for bronze.
Poland's men's volleyball team celebrated a historic achievement on Saturday in Milan, defeating France 3-1 (31:29, 25:19, 20:25, 25:16) in the European Championship final. This marks Poland's third European title, following previous triumphs in 2009 and 2023.
Bartłomiej Bołądź led the winning side with 16 points, while Tomasz Fornal and Wilfredo León each added 13 points — León notably contributed four service aces. Bartłomiej Lemański chipped in 12 points. For France, Mateusz Enno (spelled Matiss Enno in the source) topped the scoring with 20 points, followed by Théo Faure with 18. France, European champions back in 2015, settled for silver for the fifth time in its history.
Beyond the title, Poland's victory also secured the team's qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Latvia's tournament path and Finland's breakthrough
Latvia's national team had already faced both finalists during the tournament — meeting Poland in the round of 16 and France during the group stage, where Latvia managed to win one set. Latvia played its Group D matches in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, alongside Romania, Germany, France, Switzerland and Turkey, finishing the championship in 15th place.
The bronze medal match brought a surprise, as Finland defeated Slovenia 3-0 (25:23, 25:20, 29:27) to claim the first medal in its national team's history. Brothers Noah and Luka Martela led Finland's effort — Noah scored 19 points, including four blocks, while his older brother Luka added 17. Slovenia's top scorer was Rok Možič with 15 points.
This year's European Championship was jointly hosted across Bulgaria, Romania, Finland and Italy, with the final held in the latter.
