Estonia beat hosts Finland 3-2, deny Finns Pool C crown at EuroVolley 2026

Estonia sent a clear message to the whole of Europe at the 2026 Men's European Volleyball Championship. At Nokia Arena in Tampere, Estonia defeated hosts Finland 3-2 with set scores of 22-25, 25-21, 25-22, 20-25 and 15-11, denying Finland a share of first place in Pool C. The win came in front of 9,813 spectators, after Belgium had already secured top spot by sweeping Serbia 3-0. Finland took the opening set 25-22, helped by the Marttila brothers and Joonas Jokela, who found consistent openings against the Estonian defense. Estonia answered in the second set, with opposite hitter Timo Andre Lohmus opening a 16-11 lead before closing out 25-21. Estonia carried that momentum into the third set. Luka Marttila ripped off three straight aces to tie the set at 19-19, but Lohmus delivered a decisive block for a 22-20 lead and Estonia held on to win 25-22. Finland refused to fold. Substitute Niko Suihkonen, who came on for Nooa Marttila, scored seven points as the hosts forced a fifth set with a 25-20 win in the fourth. Estonia settled the match in the tie-break, closing it out 15-11. Volleytimes credited Lohmus with 24 points and Teppan with 16, while WorldofVolley credited Teppan with 24 and Lohmus with 16. Joonas Jokela made his 100th appearance for Finland, and Olivia Kunnari, niece of head coach Olli Kunnari, sang the national anthem. Lohmus said afterward that Estonia wanted badly to win again in front of the crowd and gave everything it had. Finland captain Antti Ronkainen admitted Estonia played well, wanted the fifth set more, and fought hard to the end. The loss dropped Finland to second in Pool C behind Belgium. Final standings had Belgium on 13 points, Finland 11, Serbia 7, Denmark 7, Estonia 5 and the Netherlands 2. Estonia's win came days after its first tournament victory, a 3-1 result over the Netherlands in which two consecutive Lohmus aces at 22-22 in the fourth set proved decisive. The round of 16 begins Saturday in Sofia and Turin. Finland faces Greece and Belgium meets Czechia, both on September 20 and 21 in Turin. Poland plays Latvia and Germany faces Bulgaria on September 19 in Sofia, with Ukraine-Romania and France-Portugal following there on September 20. Slovenia meets Serbia in Turin on September 21, and Italy faces Denmark the same weekend. Semifinals and the medal matches will be held in Milan. The match was a lesson in timing and nerve. Estonia did not need to dominate from start to finish; they needed to stay patient and strike at key moments. Finland had depth, as shown by Suihkonen's contribution, but lacked sharpness in decisive phases. The data discrepancy between sources does not change the outcome. Numbers tell stories, but only careful readers see the full picture. Now both teams turn their attention to the knockout stage, where one bad set can end a tournament.