Volleyball: Les Bleus beaten by Poland before the final phase of the Nations League

Already qualified for the final phase, which will begin on July 30 in China, thanks to their victory against Iran the day before, the Blues suffered a slight setback at the end of a third week of VNL so far impeccable (three wins in three matches). The two-time reigning Olympic champions, who finished in 3rd place, finally cracked while the match had long been undecided between the two finalists of the Paris-2024 Games.

The first set, won by the Poles after a thrilling 32-30 draw and after seven set points saved by Mathis Henno and Mousse Gueye's teammates, is a good illustration of this.

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Aided by an excellent Antoine Brizard - when Théo Faure had another great match with 28 points - the Blues never gave up the match. And although they started off badly in the fourth set, they finally had the last word - thanks to Brizard - to win the deciding set against Wilfredo Leon's team. The latter nevertheless made the difference (30 points) to allow Poland, also qualified before kickoff, to win in front of their home crowd.

After a preliminary round in which Andrea Giani was gradually able to count on the return of his key players, the French will turn their attention next week to the quarter-finals. As the reigning Nations League champions, they will attempt to retain their crown before the World Cup in the Philippines (September 12-23).