Estonia stun hosts Finland 3-2 in Tampere, denying Finland a share of Pool C crown

Estonia beat host Finland 3-2 (22-25, 25-21, 25-22, 20-25, 15-11) at Nokia Arena in Tampere on Thursday, September 17, 2026, denying the Finns a share of the Pool C crown at the 2026 European Men's Volleyball Championship, according to WorldofVolley. Earlier the same day, Belgium had already claimed first place in Pool C by sweeping Serbia 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-16). The five-setter played out in front of 9,813 fans at Nokia Arena and closed the group stage of the 24-team tournament before the round of 16 begins this weekend. Finland took the opening set 25-22 behind the Marttila brothers and Joonas Jokela, who found consistent openings against the Estonian defence, according to volleytimes.com. Estonia answered in the second set, with opposite Timo Andre Lohmus opening a 16-11 lead before closing it out 25-21. Estonia carried that momentum into the third set. Finland's 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, according to volleyweek.bg. 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.com reported that Lohmus finished with 24 points and Teppan added 16, while WorldofVolley credited Teppan with 24 points and Lohmus with 16. Volleytimes.com also reported that Joonas Jokela made his 100th appearance for Finland, and that Olivia Kunnari, niece of Finland head coach Olli Kunnari, sang the national anthem before the match. Lohmus said afterward that Estonia wanted badly to win again in front of the crowd and gave everything it had, adding that he was proud of his team, per volleytimes.com. Finland captain Antti Ronkainen said Estonia played well and wanted the fifth set, fighting hard to the end, and that Finland now turns its attention to its next opponent. The loss dropped Finland to second in Pool C behind Belgium. Volleytimes.com reported the final group standings as Belgium with 13 points, Finland with 11, Serbia with 7, Denmark with 7, Estonia with 5 and the Netherlands with 2. Estonia's win in Tampere came days after the team recorded its first tournament victory, a 3-1 (27-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-23) result over the Netherlands in which two consecutive Lohmus aces at 22-22 in the fourth set proved decisive, according to volleyweek.bg. The round of 16 begins Saturday, September 19, 2026 in Sofia and Turin. Finland faces Greece and Belgium meets Czechia, both on September 20 and 21 in Turin, per WorldofVolley. 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.