Serbia finishes third in Europe! Ognjenović: "I'm proud, but this is not the end"; "We've only just begun"

In the third-place match in Istanbul, they defeated Poland 3–1 (25–21, 25–19, 15–25, 25–18) to claim the bronze medal.

After losing to Turkey in the semi-final, Serbia had just one day to prepare for the clash with Poland.

Although they missed out on the chance to compete for gold, Zoran Terzić’s team rose to the challenge and finished the tournament with a victory.

This was Serbia’s eighth consecutive appearance among the top four teams in Europe, while the medal marked their sixth straight podium finish.

Serbia last failed to win a medal at the European Championship in 2013, when they finished fourth. Since then, they have won bronze in 2015, gold in 2017 and 2019, and silver in 2021 and 2023.

The Serbian national team opened the match against Poland significantly better than their opponents. Tijana Bošković was the main driving force in attack, while Branka Tica and Hena Kurtagić made important contributions in the closing stages of the first set. Serbia controlled the score and took a 1–0 lead.

CEV

The second set followed a similar pattern. Bošković continued to lead the team, while Aleksandra Uzelac also stepped up. Serbia made the most of their solid reception and Maja Ognjenović’s varied playmaking, making it difficult for Poland to find a way to change the course of the match.

With a 25–19 win, Serbia moved into a 2–0 lead and came within one set of securing the bronze medal. The third set, however, brought a completely different situation.

With Serbia leading 4–0, head coach Zoran Terzić suddenly felt unwell and had to leave the bench. As the coaching staff tried to continue the match without him, Poland took control.

Terzić returned courtside when Poland were leading 11–8, but Serbia were unable to respond for the remainder of the set.

Poland reduced the deficit to 2–1 by winning the third set convincingly, 25–15.

Serbia nevertheless managed to regain their composure in the fourth set. They once again took control of the game and did not allow Poland to mount a comeback. As the set entered its closing stages, Serbia’s lead became increasingly secure.

When the fourth set ended 25–18, there was no doubt – Serbia had won the bronze medal.

For the Serbian national team, this was their first medal at a major tournament after going without a podium finish at the Olympic Games and World Championship. At the same time, their impressive run on the European stage continued.

The bronze in Istanbul thus became Serbia’s sixth consecutive European Championship medal.

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