France returns to the battle for gold at the European Volleyball Championship for the first time since its triumph in 2015, after defeating Finland 3-1 (25-17, 18-25, 25-18, 25-15) in the second semi-final of the championship in Milan, Italy.
The French team had previously lost the semi-finals in 2019 and 2023, but now the "roosters" made no mistake and ended Finland's fairytale in the tournament, and head coach Andrea Gianni will participate in a third European Championship final with a third different team – an achievement he has already recorded with Slovenia (2015) and Germany (2017).
France will compete for the title and a quota for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles against current European champion Poland from 22:00 Bulgarian time tonight, while Finland's volleyball players retain their chances for their first European championship medal in history and face Slovenia in the bronze medal match from 18:00 today.
The French had the advantage in the first game against Finland and won it 25:17, but in the second half the Finns led 16:12 and did not lose control until 25:18, tying the score. "The Roosters" however, they held the initiative in the next two games and achieved success.
Mathis Henault and Theo Faure were the most productive for the French team with 21 and 20 points respectively, while for Finland, Noah Martila and Jonas Jokela scored the most points - 13 and 12 respectively.