Finland beats Italy 3-2 in EuroVolley quarter-final to reach Milan Final Four

Finland eliminates Italy in five-set EuroVolley quarter-final

On 23 September 2026, Finland defeated tournament co-hosts Italy 3-2 in the EuroVolley quarter-finals at the PalaVela in Turin. The match lasted two and a half hours, concluding with set scores of 21-25, 28-26, 25-16, 20-25, and 15-13 to eliminate head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi's squad before the Final Four. Finland reached the knockout clash after finishing second in Pool C in Tampere, whereas Italy had advanced following a sweep over Denmark in the round of 16. A crowd of 8,260 spectators attended the fixture in Turin, generating nearly 500,000 euros in ticket revenue. Sports figures including former Juventus manager Antonio Conte, club director Giorgio Chiellini, and defender Andrea Cambiaso watched from the stands as the Italian campaign came to an unexpected end.

Italy takes opening frame before Finnish response

De Giorgi fielded his established lineup of Simone Giannelli, Yuri Romanò, Daniele Lavia, Mattia Bottolo, Giovanni Sanguinetti, Pardo Mati, and libero Fabio Balaso. Finnish coach Olli Kunnari countered with setter Akseli Välimaa, opposite Joonas Jokela, outside hitters Luka Marttila and Nooa Marttila, middle blockers Petteri Haapaniemi and Severi Savonsalmi, and libero Voitto Köykkä. Italy recorded a 70% attack success rate in the opening set, moving ahead 3-0 and 13-10 before Finland leveled the score at 14-14 through an ace by Nooa Marttila. Two consecutive blocks by Mati helped Italy close the set 25-21 in 28 minutes, supported by eight points from Romanò. Finland seized the advantage in the second set, building a 5-2 lead as Jokela produced ten points. Italy held two set points at 26-25, but Kunnari's team converted their opportunity to claim the second set 28-26.

Third-set collapse and Italian fourth-set recovery

Italy struggled in the third set as Italian attack efficiency fell to 58%, accompanied by repeated service errors that failed to clear the net. Finland opened an early 10-3 lead, maintaining defensive control and creating eight set points. A reception error by substitute Luca Porro allowed Tyynismaa to finish the frame 25-16, putting Finland ahead two sets to one. De Giorgi introduced Francesco Sani and adjusted rotations, helping Italy open the fourth set with a 5-2 lead. The teams traded points through 16-16 until Italy pulled ahead in the final stretch, with Bottolo scoring the decisive point to seal a 25-20 win and force a fifth set.

Tie-break decider and Final Four matchups in Milan

Italy took an 11-8 advantage in the deciding tie-break, but Finland answered with a late scoring run to draw level at 12-12. Finland reached match point at 14-13, and the contest concluded when Romanò sent an attack out of bounds. The victory ended Italy's streak of 13 consecutive European Championship wins over Finland, a fixture in which Kunnari had previously lost six times during his playing career. Finland moves on to the Final Four at the Forum di Assago in Milan from 25 to 27 September 2026. Kunnari's team will face reigning Olympic champions France, coached by Andrea Giani, while the other semifinal matches Fabio Soli's Slovenia, who defeated Emanuele Zanini's Belgium 3-1, against Nikola Grbić's Poland.