Argentina demonstrated resilience and strategic play in Belgrade on Saturday, coming back from a set down to defeat Serbia 3-1 (18-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-12). This win was significant as it denied the European side their inaugural home victory in the Volleyball Nations League 2025.
Competing just one day after a loss to Iran, the South American squad`s victory was earned in the second match of the day hosted in the Serbian capital.
The win not only helped Argentina rebound but also strengthened their bid for a spot in the VNL Finals. They are now placed ninth in the standings with 11 points (four wins and three losses). Serbia, having lost all three home matches this week and with only one win from seven encounters overall, remains at the bottom of the table in 18th place with three points.
Argentina`s offensive performance was a key factor against Serbia, with four players scoring in double figures: opposite Germán Gómez led with 20 points, outside hitters Luciano Vicentin contributed 16 and Luciano Palonsky added 13, while middle blocker Agustín Loser scored 15.
Loser commented on the team`s performance: “I thought they played very well in the first set. But we started playing better after that, especially on our offense. We were more intelligent with our serving and blocking and defense, too. We’re very happy with this victory because it was important for us.”
Serbia`s main offensive force was opposite Drazen Luburić, who scored 18 points (16 kills, two aces). Outside hitter Veljko Mašulović was the next highest scorer with 12 points, including ten kills and two blocks.
Serbian outside hitter Marko Ivović reflected on the loss: “It’s hard to explain. I feel like it’s the third or fourth time in the VNL in which we stay playing well, but then we can’t keep it up and kind of give up when things start not going our way. It’s a tough loss and I want to believe this is all part of the process we are going through.”
Germany Edges Out Iran in Four Sets
In another match held in Belgrade on the same day, Germany defeated Iran in four sets (25-22, 23-25, 26-24, 25-22). This result caused the teams to swap positions in the VNL standings, with Germany now 12th (12 points, three wins, four losses) and Iran 13th (ten points, also three wins, four losses).
Opposite Filip John was Germany`s top scorer with 22 points (19 kills, two aces, one block). Outside hitters Erik Röhrs and Tobias Brand each contributed 15 points. Iran`s offense was primarily led by outside hitter Amirhossein Esfandiar with 19 points (18 kills, one block) and opposite Bardia Saadat, who tallied 17.
Sunday`s schedule in Belgrade features three matches: Iran vs. Netherlands, Cuba vs. Argentina, and Germany vs. Serbia.
Türkiye Defeats Bulgaria; Star Setter Injured
In Burgas, hosts Bulgaria, who had secured two consecutive wins earlier in the week, suffered a 3-0 defeat against Türkiye (25-20, 25-20, 25-21). This second victory in the VNL 2025 brought Türkiye`s points total to six (two wins, five losses), placing them 16th. Bulgaria, with four wins from seven matches, has 11 points and ranks eighth.
A potentially bigger setback for Bulgaria was the injury sustained by their star setter, Simeon Nikolov. He had to leave the match during the second set after an awkward landing, which appeared to be a left ankle injury.
For Türkiye, outside hitters Efe Mandiraci and Mirza Lagumdzija were key offensive players, each scoring 14 points. Middle blocker Bedirhan Bülbül added 13 points. Bulgaria`s offense saw only opposite Venislav Antov reach double digits in scoring, registering 11 points, all from kills.
The other match played in Burgas on Saturday saw Olympic champions France achieve a 3-0 victory over Slovenia (25-23, 27-25, 25-23).
Sunday`s matches in the Bulgarian city include Slovenia vs. Japan, Türkiye vs. France, and Bulgaria vs. Ukraine.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick