Italy beats Slovenia 3-2 to win EuroVolley Pool A and set up Denmark clash
Italy secured first place in EuroVolley 2026 Pool A with a five-set victory over Slovenia in Modena, setting up a round-of-16 match against Denmark in Turin.
Pool victory secured in opening sets
Italy completed an undefeated group stage at EuroVolley 2026 on Thursday night, defeating Slovenia 3-2 at the PalaPanini in Modena. The team coached by Ferdinando De Giorgi needed only two sets to mathematically secure first place in Pool A, which had been hosted across Naples and Modena. Italy started with Simone Giannelli, Yuri Romanò, Daniele Lavia, Mattia Bottolo, Gianluca Galassi, Pardo Mati, and libero Fabio Balaso. After trailing 10-12 in the opening set, Italy relied on three consecutive attacks from Lavia to move ahead 15-13 before closing the frame 25-19 with an ace from Romanò. In the second set, Slovenia established a five-point lead following an ace by Nik Mujanovic and an attack by Jaka Sen. Italy rallied to draw level at 12-12, brought Alessandro Michieletto into the match at 13-14, and tied the score at 20-20 on a Giannelli ace. Mati scored the decisive point to seal the set 25-22 and confirm Italy in first place.
- Italy overcomes a 10-12 deficit to win 25-19 on a service ace from Yuri Romanò.
- Italy erases a five-point Slovenian lead to take the set 25-22 and secure first place in Pool A.
- Slovenia fends off three Italian match points to win 29-27 against Italy's reserve lineup.
- Slovenia wins 25-19 to level the match at two sets each and force a tie-break.
- Italy's rotated lineup closes out the match with a 15-9 victory in the tie-break.
Lineup rotation and Slovenian fightback
With top seeding in the bracket secured, De Giorgi substituted his entire starting unit for the third set, introducing Riccardo Sbertoli, Giovanni Sanguinetti, Luca Porro, Kamil Rychlicki, and Domenico Laurenzano alongside Michieletto. Slovenia, managed by Italian coach Fabio Soli and competing without the absent captain Tine Urnaut, took advantage of the structural changes. Italy held three match points in the third frame, but Slovenia saved each one and secured the set 29-27. Slovenia maintained control in the fourth set, winning 25-19 (noted as 18-25 in one match report) to level the contest at two sets apiece and force a fifth set. Mujanovic led the Slovenian offense throughout the contest, recording 19 total points, including 15 winning spikes.
- Nik Mujanovic
- 19 points
- Kamil Rychlicki
- 13 points
- Daniele Lavia
- 12 points
- Yuri Romanò
- 11 points
Tie-break victory and individual statistics
Italy's second unit re-established control in the deciding fifth set, building an early lead and finishing the tie-break 15-9 to complete the pool stage with five wins from five matches. Rychlicki finished as Italy's leading scorer with 13 points after entering in the third set, followed by Lavia with 12 points and Romanò with 11 points, three of which came from service aces. Middle blocker Mati registered five winning blocks during his time on the court. Slovenia's starting lineup included Nejc Planinsic, Mujanovic, Saso Stalekar, Jan Kozamernik, Rok Bracko, Sen, and libero Jani Kovacic.
Knockout phase schedule
The victory confirms that Italy will face Denmark in the round of 16 on Sunday, 20 September at the PalaVela in Turin, with the match set for 21:05. Denmark entered the knockout bracket after finishing fourth in Pool C in Tampere, recording two victories, three defeats, and seven points in group play. Slovenia will play against Serbia in the opening elimination round. Other round-of-16 matches scheduled across the tournament bracket include Belgium against Czechia, Finland against Greece, Poland against Latvia, Germany against Bulgaria, France against Portugal, and Ukraine against Romania.
