Highlights
Overview
Russia and Ukraine lock horns for the fourth time at European Championships, all three previous encounters ended in straight sets won by Russia (1993, 1995, 2005). In this edition, the team under guidance of Tuomas Sammelvuo suffered unexpected defeat in the opening game, losing 3-1 to Turkey, but then they got back on track to complete pool phase in 2nd place in Pool C. Ukraine also struggled at the beginning of the tournament, but eventually recording three wins they finished 3rd.
Head-to-Head
· Poland have won six of their seven matches against Finland at European Championships. The exception was a 3-0 defeat in the second round pool in 2007.
· Poland and Finland last met at the European Championships in 2017, when Poland won 3-0 in Gdansk. Bartosz Kurek scored 15 points for the home team and Olli-Pekka Ojansivu was Finland's top scorer on nine points.
· Poland and Finland's most recent meeting in a major international competition was at the 2018 World Championship. Poland won 3-1 in the first round and would go on to win their third world title.
· Finland's last triumph against Poland at a major international competition was a 3-2 win in the 2012 World League.
Poland
· Poland won all five of their group matches at EuroVolley 2021. They finished as group winners in Pool A.
· Poland finished in the top eight in four of the last six editions of the tournament: champions in 2009, third in 2011, fifth in 2015 and third in 2019.
· Poland have won 13 of their last 14 matches at European Championships, and each of their last six games.
· Poland last suffered defeat at the European Championships in the 2019 semi-finals: 3-1 against Slovenia.
· Wilfredo Leon Venero (65) leads Poland in scoring at EuroVolley 2021.
· Piotr Nowakowski is the leading blocker at the 2021 European Championships on 22 points from blocks and a set average of 1.29. At the European Championship in 2019, Ukraine's Yurii Semeniuk finished the final round as the best blocker on 22 points from blocks.
Finland
· Finland finished fourth in Pool C on a W3-L2 record. They beat Turkey 3-2 in their most recent match.
· Finland were eliminated in the Eighth Finals in 2019, after a 3-0 loss against France. They lost their Playoff matches for the quarter-finals in 2015 and in 2017. Their most recent top-eight finish came in 2013, when they lost in the quarter-finals.
· The last time Finland won a knockout match at the European Championships was in 2011, when they won 3-2 versus Slovenia in the Playoffs for the quarter-finals.
· Finland have scored 455 points at EuroVolley 2021, two points more than Poland (453).
· Urpo Sivula (91) is Finland's top scorer at EuroVolley 2021, including 86 from spikes. He was the team's top scorer in 2019 on 66 points in the final round.
Joel BANKS“Our aim for this tournament was to be better and improve from each match. We do not have any fears, we just embrace the new challenges that are presented to us in each match.”
Coach Finland
Wilfredo LEON"I know they were playing well and fighting to the end in their pool. Their receivers are very good - we just hope to use our experience and have a good game.”
Outside Spiker Poland
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Match Polls
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Officials
First RefereeStefano CESAREITASecond RefereeSusana Maria RODRIGUEZ JATIVAESP
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Venue Information
You can easily reach the venue by using public transportation. The two most convenient means include SKM trains which run regularly from all local directions (leave at Gdańsk Żabianka stop, then take a 10-minute walk down the Subisława and Rybacka streets) and ZTM trams (trams no. 2, 8, 6, 11 – leave at Gospody/Osiedle Wejhera stops, then follow the information boards). In order to get to ERGO ARENA straight from the airport, take the PKM train which has its stop at the airport, then change at Gdańsk Wrzeszcz stop and take the SKM train towards Gdańsk Żabianka. For fans, who are choosing to travel by car, we recommend the so-called Green Route which connects the venue with Grunwaldzka street/Niepodległości avenue – the main Gdańsk-Sopot road. Capacity: 12000
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How To Attend
, , Capacity: 12000
ERGO ARENA is one of the biggest and most advanced multifunctional venues in Poland. Located right on the border of Gdańsk and Sopot, ERGO ARENA can gather up to 11100 fans during volleyball and basketball games and, depending on the kind of planned event, can bring together from 5100 up to 15000 people. Starting in 2010, ERGO ARENA has been providing Poland with the highest level of entertainment. Get directions
Featured Players
Bartosz KUREK
6
POLAND
Outside spiker
Bio
The 32-year-old outside-hitter-turned-opposite is one of the most recognizable faces of the Polish squad in which he debuted in 2007. After missing from Poland’s 2014 world championship roster, he silenced his critics by catching the title in 2018 and becoming the tournament’s MVP. That is just one of many individual awards of the talented 2009 European Champion and Europe’s Best Player of 2018.
Team
Team Leaders
Team Schedule
Previous Games
19/09/2021 | vs. | 3 - 0 | W | Go to Match Centre |
18/09/2021 | vs. | 1 - 3 | L | Go to Match Centre |
14/09/2021 | vs. | 3 - 0 | W | Go to Match Centre |
- All Time
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29Competitions Played
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3Titles
- Competition
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9Matches Played
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8Matches Won
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89%Win %
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25Sets Won
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785Points Won
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55%Attack %
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52%Reception %
Team
13
KUBIAK Michał
Outside spiker
- Birth Date: 1988
- Birth Place: Wałcz
- Height: 193 cm
1
NOWAKOWSKI Piotr
Middle blocker
- Birth Date: 1987
- Birth Place: POLAND
- Height: 205 cm
5
KACZMAREK Łukasz
Opposite
- Birth Date: 1994
- Birth Place: Krotoszyn
- Height: 204 cm
6
KUREK Bartosz
Outside spiker
- Birth Date: 1988
- Birth Place: Wałbrzych
- Height: 201 cm
9
LEON VENERO Wilfredo
Outside spiker
- Birth Date: 1993
- Birth Place: Santiago de Cuba
- Height: 201 cm
12
ŁOMACZ Grzegorz
Setter
- Birth Date: 1987
- Birth Place: Ostrołęka
- Height: 188 cm
14
ŚLIWKA Aleksander
Outside spiker
- Birth Date: 1995
- Birth Place: Jawor
- Height: 198 cm
15
KOCHANOWSKI Jakub
Middle blocker
- Birth Date: 1997
- Birth Place: Giżycko
- Height: 199 cm
20
BIENIEK Mateusz
Middle blocker
- Birth Date: 1994
- Birth Place: Blachownia
- Height: 208 cm
21
FORNAL Tomasz
Outside spiker
- Birth Date: 1997
- Birth Place: Kraków
- Height: 198 cm
Recent Results
Gallery
Disclaimer
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Match Report
Poland crush Finland in straight sets progress to QFs
Article
11 September 2021
Paweł Zatorski"It's amazing to play at a venue full of fans. The fans give us extra energy, so we always have to give everything in the game like this one. I think that we did our job, we progressed to the next phase, but now there are more difficult matches against opponents from the highest level, so we have to expect more resistance."
libero of Poland
Niklas Seppanen"We did our best but they are a great team and today we didn't have a chance. I think that they are ahead of us in every element, they have higher standards in every component of the game. If we want to win games like this you have to play more against teams at the top level."
captain of Finland
The match in numbers
82
Points
The combined total number of points scored by both teams throughout the entire match.
83
Duration
The total length of the match, from the first serve through until the last point has ended.
8526
Spectators
Total number of people in attendance at the venue – taken at the end of the second set.
133
Match Spikes
The combined total number of successful spikes achieved by both teams throughout the entire match.
62%
Reception Level
An average of the two team service reception percentages from the complete match.
8-3
Net Domination
The number of successful point winning blocks of POLAND compared to FINLAND.
10-3
Ace Count
POLAND number of service aces compared to FINLAND
33-33
Error Difference
Errors leading to points of POLAND, next to those from FINLAND