Germany rallies from two sets down to defeat Bulgaria 3-2 at EuroVolley 2026

Five-set turnaround in Sofia

Germany recovered from a two-set deficit to defeat Bulgaria 3-2 (21:25, 21:25, 25:19, 25:23, 15:12) on Saturday in the round of 16 at the 2026 Men's European Volleyball Championship. Playing before a home crowd in Sofia, the Bulgarian team dominated early, closing out the first two sets by matching 25:21 scorelines. Germany adjusted their play in the third set, capitalising on growing Bulgarian errors and finding rhythm to win 25:19 and 25:23. In the deciding fifth set, Germany controlled the closing points to complete the tie-break 15:12. The result avenged Germany's defeat to Bulgaria at the previous year's World Championship, where Germany lost their opening match 0:3 after failing to convert 11 set points in a 38:40 first set.

Tactical adjustments and error margins

Germany achieved the comeback without two regular starters, as setter Johannes Tille and outside hitter Moritz Karlitzek were unavailable due to injuries. The German side increased their service precision following the second set, which disrupted Bulgaria's offensive execution. Across the final two sets, Bulgaria committed 20 unforced errors, while Germany conceded only eight points through errors in that same span. Aleks Grozdanow observed that Germany functioned as a transformed squad under their new head coach, successfully handling the atmosphere created by thousands of Bulgarian supporters.

Bulgarian middle blocker Aleks Grozdanow credited the opponent's serving performance for shifting the match dynamics:

After the second set, their serve was great and they managed to throw us off rhythm. From that moment other problems also appeared, but above all it was about that. Germany is now a completely different team, they have a new coach. I think we were tactically well prepared, but in the end something did not work. Congratulations to them for withstanding the pressure and getting back into the game.

Bulgarian squad reacts to elimination

The defeat eliminated tournament co-hosts Bulgaria, the reigning World Championship silver medallists led by head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini. Prior to the knockout round, team leader Aleksandyr Nikołow had targeted a top-two finish in the preliminary group to avoid an early bracket path toward Poland, but Bulgaria entered the round of 16 as the third-placed team. After the match, Nikołow addressed the reasons behind the loss, thanking the home supporters who remained in the arena after the final point.

Germany deserved to win. We made a lot of errors, not only in service, but in every element. I thank the fans very much for their support. Even at the end of the match, after such a huge disappointment, nobody left the hall. I do not think it was about physical fatigue. We lacked a bit of aggression. We started well and lacked a bit of aggression to close the match. That is all.

Bulgarian outside hitter Asparuch Asparuchow denied that the team had become complacent after building their two-set lead, stating that players understood the difficulty of the contest before their execution ceased working in the later sets.

Bracket progression to the quarter-finals

The victory sends Germany to a quarter-final fixture against defending champions Poland on Tuesday, 22 September in Sofia. Poland confirmed their spot earlier on Saturday by defeating Latvia 3-0 under head coach Nikola Grbić. The tournament schedule dictates that the winner of Tuesday's quarter-final in Sofia will travel to Milan for the medal rounds. The semi-finals are scheduled for 25 September in Milan, followed by the bronze medal match and the final on 26 September.