The Ukrainian national volleyball team secured its fourth consecutive victory at the 2026 European Championship, leaving the Portuguese national team with no chance in a group stage match. The encounter, played as part of the tournament, ended with a 3:0 win for the "blue-and-yellow" side (25:18, 25:18, 25:19), and the team continues its unbeaten run, firmly leading the Group B standings. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the official tournament results.
Status before the match: Ukraine already in the playoffs, Portugal among the outsiders
Going into this match, the Ukrainian team held the status of a guaranteed playoff participant, having three wins in its first three group stage matches to its credit. The Portuguese, by contrast, found themselves in the opposite situation: at the start of the championship they suffered three consecutive defeats and, in effect, no longer had any realistic chance of continuing the fight for medals. Thus, the match was primarily of a tournament nature for both teams: for the Ukrainians it was important to maintain their lead in the group and earn the maximum number of points, while for the Portuguese — to try to finish the group stage with a more respectable result.
Course of the match: from fighting back in the first set to confident control
The first set started against the Ukrainians: Portugal managed to build a three-point lead, creating a threat to the team in control. However, the Ukrainian team quickly regrouped, seized the initiative and ultimately closed out the set in their favor with a score of 25:18. The second set went under the full control of the "blue-and-yellow": the Ukrainians did not allow their opponent to impose an even contest and again won with a score of 25:18. In the third set the Ukrainians finally settled the question of the winner, extending their lead and taking the set to victory — 25:19. The final result of the match was 3:0, without a single lost set.
Oleh Plotnytskyi — the best on the court
The most productive player of the match in the Ukrainian national team was outside hitter Oleh Plotnytskyi, who scored 19 points. It was his attacks and blocks that became the key factor in turning the first set around and in the confident control of the second and third sets. Plotnytskyi's consistent play throughout the match confirmed his status as one of the team's top scorers at this tournament.
Standings and prospects: the battle for first place with Poland
After four matches played, the Ukrainian national team firmly leads the Group B standings, with 12 points and a set difference of 12:2. The "blue-and-yellow" will play their final match in the group round of the 2026 European Championship on Tuesday, September 15, at 19:00 Kyiv time. The Ukrainians' opponent in the fight for the final first place in the group will be the Polish national team. The outcome of this match will determine the balance of power in the group and, accordingly, the tournament's playoff bracket.
Contradictory data
When checking the facts against additional sources, it was found that the portal ua-football.com publishes an article about the Ukrainian national team's elimination from the 2026 youth European Volleyball Championship. It is important to emphasize that in this case we are talking about a completely different tournament — the youth one (U-19 or a similar age category), and not the senior European Championship in which the main Ukrainian national team competes. These two events do not contradict each other: the main team continues its successful run at the senior 2026 European Championship, while the youth team concluded its participation in a different tournament. Mixing these two events in one context would be a factual error.
Thus, the Ukrainian national volleyball team is demonstrating consistently high form at the 2026 European Championship and retains all chances for a successful continuation of the tournament. Fans' main attention now shifts to the decisive match with Poland, which may determine not only first place in the group but also the team's psychological state heading into the playoffs.
