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Drama at the Volleyball World Cup: Germany misses match points against Poland!
Germany lost dramatically to Poland 2-3 in the World Cup in Thailand, despite being in the lead and having four match points. Next opponent: Italy.
Drama at the Volleyball World Cup: Germany misses match points against Poland!
On August 27, 2025, the German volleyball players got into a truly exciting duel against the Polish selection at the World Cup in Phuket, Thailand. First, the Germans got off to a brilliant start: They won the first set 25:21 and thus laid the foundation for a promising game. One reason for this strong start was an impressive series of serves from Lina Alsmeier, which helped Germany take an early lead of 6:1. But the omens were not unfounded, as Poland had previously won 15 of the last 16 matches, which underlined their role as favorites. According to Olympics.com, Germany was anything but without a chance and played in promising form.
Despite their initial strength, the Poles fought their way back into the game. Are you really tanking strength and damage? This gradual change came first through two video protests by the Poles, who took control. While German players like Hanna Orthmann and Camilla Weitzel continued to score, Poland sniffed the equalizer thanks to Magdalena Stysiak's goal, which brought them within 19:21.
An exciting duel
The first set was a real thriller and Germany looked ready to defend their lead. Shortly before the end of the set, an ace from Weitzel made the decision. But even after the first set, the tension remained high. In the second set, Germany's performance weakened and Poland took the opportunity to win it 25:15.
Up, up! However, national coach Giulio Bregoli's team didn't give up. They took back the third set 25:19 and led 2-1 after sets. A good performance in the fourth set could have secured group victory. But after two missed match points they had to give in to the pressure. Poland grabbed the fourth set 28:26 and went into the decisive final set.
The tiebreak and the next challenge
In the tiebreak, both teams fought for every point. Despite having already secured qualification for the round of 16, it was clear that there was now more at stake. However, Poland retained the upper hand and won the tiebreak 19:17, which meant a bitter defeat for the Germans. Antonia Stautz was visibly disappointed about the missed opportunities: “We couldn’t use four match points,” she said after the game, which was seen as a defeat in the direct duel for group victory.
Germany now moves on to the knockout round, where the team meets the top favorites Italy, who impressively won all three group games. Germany had already suffered a narrow defeat against Italy in the Nations League in June 2025.
It therefore remains to be seen whether the German volleyball players can draw the necessary motivation from this defeat to surprise their opponents in the coming games.