Grbić makes history in Milan: Poland defends the European volleyball title — 3:1 over France

MILAN — Poland is once again the European men’s volleyball champion. Tonight, in the final played at the “Unipol Forum” arena in Milan, the Poles beat France 3:1 in sets (31:29, 25:19, 20:25, 25:16), defending the title won two years ago and securing direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The final began with unprecedented drama. In the first set, the French were already celebrating when they reached 27:25, but Poland’s coach, Serbian Nikola Grbić, asked for a “challenge” — and, as Nova.rs reports, the footage showed that the French block had touched the net: the point was awarded to Poland (26:26), and the Poles turned the marathon set around to win it 31:29.

The second set was the domain of Wilfredo León, who carried Poland to a 2:0 lead with 25:19. France reacted in the third, winning it 25:20 and keeping the title hopes alive, but in the fourth Poland left no room: 25:16 and the celebration could begin.

This was the third European title for Poland and a historic personal success for Grbić: according to Nova.rs, the Serb now has ten medals in ten competitions as Poland’s coach, of which the fifth is gold — a result that places him among the most successful coaches in the history of European volleyball.