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🇹🇷 Turkey /Sports

European champions Türkiye dominate headlines as Italy “surrender to the Super Turks”

From Hürriyet · () Turkish

Translated from Turkish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • Türkiye defeated Italy 3-2 in the 2026 CEV Women’s European Volleyball Championship final in Istanbul to retain the title.
  • The Turkish team recovered after Italy took the lead twice, winning the deciding set 15-10 in front of 17,000 home fans.
  • Melissa Vargas scored 28 points, and the victory followed Türkiye’s Nations League triumph and secured a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Türkiye’s women’s volleyball team has retained its European title, defeating Italy 3-2 in a dramatic final in Istanbul. The victory gave the team back-to-back European Championship crowns.

Italy moved ahead twice, but Türkiye responded in the final two sets with support from 17,000 fans at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall. The Turkish team won 25-16, 22-25, 25-12, 21-25 and 15-10. Melissa Vargas led Türkiye with 28 points.

Turkish coverage celebrated the result, while Italian and European sports outlets focused on Italy’s missed opportunity. Tuttosport wrote that “Velasco’s Italy surrendered to the Super Turks.” La Gazzetta dello Sport said Italy had lost its chance to complete a three-title sweep after winning the Olympic and world championships.

Velasco’s Italy surrendered to the Super Turks.

· TuttosportThe Italian sports newspaper described Italy’s defeat in the European Championship final.

Türkiye had first won the European title in 2023, after taking silver in the 2003 and 2019 finals and bronze in 2011, 2017 and 2021. The team, coached by Daniele Santarelli, also won the Nations League during the summer.

The European title secured Türkiye’s qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Italy will seek its Olympic place through the 2027 World Championship or its position in the world rankings.

Türkiye defended its crown against Italy!

· EureflectThe outlet highlighted Türkiye’s comeback and title defence in Istanbul.
About this summary

Originally published by Hürriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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