France achieved its second victory in the group stage of Euro 2023 volleyball over Portugal 3 sets to 1 (25-21, 25-27, 25-19, 25-15) on Thursday in Tel Aviv, as Irvin Ngapeth was injured for a long period. , returned to competition
The 2021 Olympic champion took a big step towards the round of 16, but this second match showed his Italian coach Andrea Gianni some areas for progress if the Blues wanted to target a second European crown after 2015. In light of the difficulty of services, the French allowed the Portuguese to return to their first level everywhere, before They regain the lead thanks to the entry of striker Timothy Karl (18 points). Another good news for Gianni is that Ngapeth played his first match in three months after a long absence due to a thigh injury. He came into play during the fourth set when he had previously been scheduled to be sidelined for the entire Euro group stage.
France has a rest day before facing Israel on Saturday, then Romania on Monday and Greece on Tuesday. The top four from Group Four qualify for the round of 16, which will be held in Varna, Bulgaria, on September 8 and 9.