Germanys womens volleyball team advances to European Championship knockout stage

Germany’s women’s volleyball team secured a spot in the knockout stage of the European Championship on Wednesday after Slovenia’s 3-2 victory over Latvia limited the Germans’ competitors to two points, ensuring they cannot be displaced from the top four in Group A. The team, managed by the German Volleyball Federation, will face host and defending champion Turkey on Wednesday evening, followed by a final group match against co-favorite Poland on Thursday at 15:00 German time. To improve their positioning for the knockout rounds, Germany likely needs to win at least one of the two remaining matches .

Italy’s women’s volleyball team concluded their group stage with a fifth consecutive victory, defeating France 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 25-19) in a decisive match for first place in Group D. The Italian squad, coached by Julio Velasco, overcame a 16-13 deficit in the fourth set with a 6-point run, sealed by Sarah Fahr’s final point. Italy will now advance to the round of 16 in Brno, Czech Republic, where they will face the fourth-placed team from Pool B, to be determined after the group phase concludes. The remaining Group D matches—Croatia vs. Montenegro at 16:00 and Sweden vs. France at 19:00—will finalize the standings on Thursday .

Portugal’s women’s national team recorded their first-ever win in the European Championship, defeating Spain 3-1 in Baku. The victory keeps Portugal’s hopes of advancing to the round of 16 alive .

In football, Romania’s Universitatea Craiova travels to Armenia for a decisive Europa League playoff second leg against Ararat-Armenia on Thursday at 19:00, with the tie level at 1-1 after the first match. A win would secure Craiova’s place in the Europa League group stage, while a loss would relegate them to the Conference League group stage, as their playoff appearance guarantees a spot in UEFA’s second-tier competition. Forward Simon Elisor returned to training after a four-match absence due to an Achilles tendon issue, though his match fitness remains uncertain .