France 🇫🇷 vs Slovenia 🇸🇮 | Full Match | CEV EuroVolley 2023

France vs Slovenia | Full Match | CEV EuroVolley 2023. France and Slovenia faced each other in the bronze medal match of the CEV EuroVolley 2023 on September 16 in Rome. The match was a dramatic five-set battle in which Slovenia came back from two sets down to defeat France 3–2, with set scores of 22–25, 16–25, 25–21, 25–18, and 15–11. This victory secured Slovenia the bronze medal and marked their third consecutive podium finish in the European Championship, following silver medals in 2019 and 2021. France, who had previously won the tournament in 2015, had to settle for fourth place after failing to close out the match despite a strong start. Slovenia started the match aggressively, showcasing their strength in blocking and service, with key contributions from Rok Možič, Klemen Čebulj, and Tine Urnaut. France responded impressively in the third and fourth sets, especially through the efforts of Jean Patry, who scored ten of France’s fourteen points in that stretch, and Earvin Ngapeth, whose service helped shift the momentum. After leveling the match at 2–2, France entered the final set with energy, but Slovenia remained composed and took control of the tie-break. Rok Možič delivered a standout performance, scoring 26 points with 61% attack efficiency, including two aces and a block, and was crucial in the decisive fifth set, where he alone scored six points. With Slovenia’s starting setter Gregor Ropret out due to injury, veteran Dejan Vinčič stepped in despite having trained with the team only twice and ended up delivering the final point that sealed the victory. France fought hard, but Slovenia’s resilience and depth proved decisive in the end. The match was part of a tournament that saw 24 teams compete across four host countries: Italy, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Israel. Poland went on to win the gold medal by defeating Italy in the final, while Slovenia took bronze and France finished fourth. Slovenia’s win was not only a statement of their continued rise in European volleyball but also a redemption after missing gold in their previous finals. France, despite a strong tournament, left empty-handed, still chasing a podium return since their 2015 title. All Credits by CEV EuroVolleyTV: https://link.cev.eu/EVTVPVolley