Estonia beat hosts Finland 3-2 in dramatic Pool C finale at 2026 EuroVolley

Estonia pulled off a major upset on the final day of the group stage at the 2026 European Men's Volleyball Championship, defeating hosts Finland 3-2 at Nokia Arena in Tampere on September 17, 2026. The set scores were 22-25, 25-21, 25-22, 20-25 and 15-11. The match was watched by 9,813 fans and denied Finland a share of first place in Pool C after Belgium had earlier swept Serbia 3-0 to seal top spot. Finland won the opening set 25-22 behind the Marttila brothers and Joonas Jokela, but Estonia responded with a 25-21 second-set victory powered by Timo Andre Lohmus. In the third set, Luka Marttila delivered three straight aces to tie at 19-19, but Lohmus made a decisive block to help Estonia take it 25-22. Finland then forced a fifth set with Niko Suihkonen scoring seven points after replacing Nooa Marttila, winning the fourth set 25-20. Estonia dominated the tie-break and closed it out 15-11. According to volleytimes.com, Lohmus finished with 24 points and Teppan added 16, while WorldofVolley reported the opposite numbers. Jokela made his 100th appearance for Finland, and Olivia Kunnari, niece of head coach Olli Kunnari, sang the national anthem. Lohmus said Estonia wanted the win badly and gave everything. Finland captain Antti Ronkainen praised Estonia's fighting spirit and said Finland would now focus on the next opponent. Final Pool C standings: Belgium 13 points, Finland 11, Serbia 7, Denmark 7, Estonia 5 and the Netherlands 2. Estonia's earlier 3-1 win over the Netherlands featured two consecutive Lohmus aces at 22-22 in the fourth set. The round of 16 begins September 19 in Sofia and Turin, with Finland facing Greece and Belgium meeting Czechia in Turin on September 20-21. Poland and Germany play their matches in Sofia on September 19, with Ukraine, Romania, France and Portugal following on September 20. Slovenia face Serbia and Italy meet Denmark on September 21. Semifinals and medal matches will take place in Milan.