The Bulgarian national men's volleyball team suffered its first serious disappointment on Eurovolley 2026 after conceding to team Ukraine with 1:3 games (23:25, 22:25, 25:21, 21:25). The match, which turned into a real drama in front of the packed stands of „Arena Sofia“, left a strong impression among the sports community, with both camps coming out with heated comments after the match.
Blenghini and the players: The mistakes that cost us the match
The coach of the „Lions“ Gianlorenzo Blenghini was candid in his analysis immediately after the match. The Italian specialist emphasized that the main reasons for the defeat lie in the difference in the initial shot and the lack of consistency.
“We also played well at certain moments, but Ukraine was better than us. Their serve put us under enormous pressure, and we were unable to maintain the same high level throughout the match“, Blenghini shared in an interview, quoted by the sports portal Sportal.bg (sportal.bg/news-2026091213581151670).
The star of the Bulgarian team Alexander Nikolov, who was the most productive for our team with the impressive 27 points, specifically pointed out the main culprit for the loss to the opposing camp.
„Ukrainian captain Oleg Plotnitsky took the match away from them in the key moments. When an opponent of such rank „gets“ such a serve, it becomes extremely difficult for our reception to organize an effective counterattack“, commented Alex Nikolov in front of the cameras of Gong.bg (gong.bg/volleyball/nacionalni-otbori/ukrajna-prizemi-bylgariia-nasred-sofiia-na-evrovolej2026-905799). Nationals Preslav Petkov and libero Jasmin Velichkov also confirmed that the team allowed too many direct points from the kick-off, which broke their rhythm.
Ukrainian triumph: Cool-blooded in front of 12,000 Bulgarians
On the other hand, the Ukrainian headquarters was moderately satisfied with the tactical discipline. The coach of The guests' Raul Lozano admitted that it was the aggressive opening attack and mental resilience that decided the outcome of the clash.
„We knew that the atmosphere in the hall would be incredible and the pressure on us would be enormous. The key was that the boys remained cool after losing the third game and withstood the Bulgarian attack“, said Lozano. Plotnitsky himself added to the European media that his team played one of its most stable matches in terms of reception and blocking.
Media coverage and CEV analysis
The European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) also noted the clash in Sofia as one of the most dynamic since the beginning of the group stage. In their official review, the headquarters' analysts emphasized that Ukraine showed better organization in the transition from defense to counterattack. Bulgarian sports analysts, on the other hand, warned that the “lions“ must quickly correct their error rate, as unfortunately there is no time. Before this match, Bulgaria recorded two clean victories with 3:0 over North Macedonia and Portugal.
The next challenge for Blengini's boys is tomorrow, Monday, when we face the Israeli team. The full statistics and chronology of the past match can be found in the report on Nova.bg (nova.bg/news/view/2026/09/12/551223/). The match against Israel will be crucial for advancing in the group stage and preserving the chances of an easier opponent in the round of 16.