Rookies Slovenia beat France in five to win Pool A

Slovenia continue to make history in their first Olympic appearance as after getting their first victory in the biggest stage of international sports and advancing to the quarterfinals of the men's volleyball tournament of the Paris 2024 Games, they claimed the top spot in Pool A on Friday.

Following victories over Canada and Serbia at the South Paris Arena 1, the Europeans faced their biggest test so far in the event, facing defending champions France, who had the support of over 10,000 loud fans, and passed it, beating the hosts 3-2 (25-20, 25-23, 25-27, 22-25, 15-11) and handing them their first upset in their home Olympics.

The result gave the Slovenians the top spot in Pool A ahead of the quarterfinals as they completed their undefeated pool play campaign with eight points, three wins and just three sets lost. France were second with six points and will also play in the elimination rounds. Serbia and Canada will face each other on Saturday in the last match of the pool with third place on the line, but only the Europeans, who have one point and could get to four, still have hopes of playing in the quarterfinals as one of the two best third-placed teams.

"Beating France in front of their home crowd is amazing," middle blocker Alen Pajenk reacted. "There's always a lot of drama in big matches and this one was no different. We showed great character to come back in the fifth set after they won the last two. I think we lost our focus a little bit at the end of the third set, but we went with all we had to the tie-breaker and I'm glad we won. It's a huge win for us, but when we go on the court we don't think about it, we just want to play our best game."

The massive win over the Volleyball Nations League 2024 champions catapulted Slovenia from fifth to second place in the FIVB World Ranking as the 6.25 points they earned were enough to make the Europeans pass France, Japan and Italy, now appearing with 358.38. The French are now fifth with 345.91.

Opposite Tonček Štern had another stellar performance for Slovenia, delivering a match-high 28 points (24 kills, three aces, one block). Outside hitter Klemen Čebulj (16) and middle blockers Pajenk (14) and Jan Kozamernik (ten) also had solid offensive displays.

"It was a big win for us," Štern added. "It's our first time at the Olympics and to beat France in a packed stadium was fantastic. I love playing in front of big crowds, even if they are against me. We were almost perfect in the first two sets, but lost our focus a little bit and France had nothing to lose and started pushing more with their serves. This win gives us a lot of confidence for the elimination rounds and also helps us continue to progress from a mental standpoint. Winning all three matches was great, but we need to keep our feet on the ground and continue to think about ourselves and our game above anything. We came here with some goals and need to remain focused on the next match."

France had Tokyo Olympics MVP Earvin Ngapeth (21 points), opposite Jean Patry (19), middle blocker Barthelémy Chinenyeze (ten) and outside hitter Trévor Clevénot (nine) as their most productive players.

"It was a good fight," Clevénot remarked. "Unfortunately we couldn't win the tie-breaker, but I'm proud of our fight. The fans were amazing and pushed us during the entire match. Down 2-0, we just kept fighting with everything we had and things changed. I think we're in good form for the quarterfinals. We faced some strong opponents in our pool, but now it's almost like a new tournament and we'll be ready for it."

It was an almost even match in terms of points scored in kills (France led 60 to 58) and opponent errors (Slovenia had the edge, at 33 to 27), while the French dominated the net with 15 blocks to nine and the Slovenians were more effective from the service, getting 12 aces to four from their rivals.

It was the third straight Slovenian victory in the duel, following triumphs at the bronze medal match of last year’s European Championship and at this year’s VNL.

Japan and USA end the day

Volleyball powerhouses Japan and the United States will end the seventh day of competition at the South Paris Arena 1, dueling at 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on Friday in a Pool C match. The Americans are already guaranteed in the quarterfinals, while the Japanese need to win a set to confirm their presence in the elimination rounds.

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

Earlier on Friday, Germany defeated Argentina and Brazil swept Egypt as both national teams advanced to the quarterfinals of the Paris 2024 Games.

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