Wilfredo Leon's season debut powers Poland's 3-1 comeback win over Germany in the Volleyball Nations League

Poland lost the opening set 23-25 but responded in emphatic fashion, routing Germany 25-16 and 25-17 to take control and ultimately seal a 3-1 victory on Saturday afternoon. The match, played at 17:00 in Gliwice's arena during the second week of the intercontinental phase, marked a long-awaited season debut for Wilfredo Leon, whose return drew huge applause from the home crowd.

First-set stumble

Germany edged a tight first set after Leon's attack error at 24-23 gave them a set point, which Erik Röhrs converted with a fierce counter-attack. It was the sixth consecutive VNL match in which Poland had dropped the opener, a trend that has dogged Nikola Grbić's side throughout June.

“Because we played every day, we didn't have time to calmly analyse those matches. We are doing as much as we can in that regard. We need to draw conclusions from the fact that we keep playing five sets and can't finish it in three or four when we have the advantage and energy on our side.”

Dominant reply

Poland regrouped quickly. Leon brought composure at the net and was effective in attack, while Bartłomiej Bołądź on the opposite flank followed his lead. The hosts opened a comfortable gap in the second set and won it by nine points. Artur Szalpuk, who replaced Aleksander Śliwka during the match, and middle blocker Bartłomiej Lemański troubled Germany with aggressive serving in the third, which Poland took 25-17.

Leon's impact

The return of Leon, alongside Kamil Semeniuk and Jakub Kochanowski who also rejoined the squad for the Gliwice tournament, gave Grbić a full-strength roster after rotation in earlier rounds. Leon's presence was felt immediately: his first attack finished cleanly and drew deafening noise from the stands. His calmness in possession helped Poland avoid the errors that had plagued them in previous five-set marathons against Belgium and Turkey.

Memorable prelude

Before the first serve, the arena fell silent for a minute's silence in memory of Daniel Castellani, the former Poland head coach who guided the team to the 2009 European Championship gold. Castellani died aged 65.

Play-off chase

Poland had entered the match 7th-8th in the table, needing points to stay in the hunt for a finals spot. Germany, coached by Massimo Botti, beat Belgium 3-2 a day earlier and were also chasing a top-eight position. Tobias Brand (77 points in the competition) and Yann Böhme led the German effort but could not contain Poland's surge.