Argentina`s dramatic five-set victory over France seals their knockout stage qualification.
Argentina celebrate their hard-fought victory over France at the Men’s Volleyball World Championship
In a truly astonishing turn of events at the 2025 FIVB Men`s Volleyball World Championship hosted in the Philippines, the reigning two-time Olympic gold medalists, France, have been eliminated! Emerging from Pool C and securing their berths in the eighthfinals are Argentina and Finland. In a thrilling final pool encounter held in Quezon City on Thursday, Argentina emerged victorious against France after a grueling five-set battle, claiming the top spot in the pool undefeated. Argentina is now set to face the winner of the upcoming Pool F clash between Italy and Ukraine. Meanwhile, Finland, finishing as pool runners-up with a 2-1 record, will go on to challenge Belgium, the winners of Pool F, for a place in the quarterfinals.
Argentina skillfully took an early lead, narrowly securing the first two sets and placing significant pressure on the French squad. The Olympic champions, however, mounted a fierce comeback, leveling the match and forcing a decisive tie-breaker. By this point, calculations based on point ratios had already confirmed Finland`s progression as the pool`s second-place team and an eighthfinalist. Consequently, the fifth set became a direct contest for the first seed in the pool and the remaining ticket to the next round. The South American team maintained greater composure and concentration, ultimately sealing a 3-2 victory (28-26, 25-23, 21-25, 20-25, 15-12) with a decisive swing from Luciano Vicentin.
Statistically, Argentina displayed superior net defense, out-blocking France 11-5, and committed fewer unforced errors (32-34). Opposite hitter Pablo Koukartsev contributed four crucial kill blocks, totaling 10 points. Luciano Vicentin, an outside hitter, was the standout performer, leading all scorers with 22 points – 21 spikes at an impressive 64% success rate, plus an ace. His teammate, also named Luciano Palonsky, added 17 points exclusively from attacks, while captain and middle blocker Agustin Loser achieved a 69% attacking efficiency, along with two kill blocks and an ace, finishing with 12 points.
“It was incredible! We played against the two-time Olympic champions, so it was a big game for us. Of course, for them too, I think. I am happy. Our team won two sets, and after we were down, we came back. We just fight. This is our culture in our country, so we just keep going,” Vicentin reportedly stated.
In terms of offense, France marginally outscored their South American adversaries, accumulating 71 attacking points compared to Argentina`s 62. The European team also had a slight advantage in serving, with 3 aces against 2. Trevor Clevenot, an outside hitter, spearheaded the Olympic champions` effort with 16 points, all from attacks. Substitute opposite Theo Faure chipped in with 13 spike kills. Both middle blockers, Barthelemy Chinenyeze (who sustained an injury and was substituted in the fourth set) and Nicolas Le Goff (who impressed with a 90% attack success rate), also reached double-digit scores with 11 points each.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick