France earn second Euro win and stay level with Germany

France have strengthened their position in European Championship Group D by claiming a second consecutive victory. The result leaves the Olympic champions on six points, level with Germany, after opening the tournament with a win over Switzerland. Their next match against Latvia on Sunday offers another chance to move closer to the round of 16.

Andrea Giani’s side beat Turkey 25-19, 25-20, 25-19 in Cluj-Napoca, completing the match in one hour and 22 minutes. France established control in the opening set after the teams had exchanged points early on, then held Turkey at a distance before taking the lead in the match.

Turkey made the stronger start to the second set, moving 3-0 ahead, but France answered with five points in succession. The margin remained narrow for much of the set before a late French surge created five set points. The second was enough to put France two sets ahead.

The teams traded points again at the start of the third set, with Turkey briefly leading 8-6. France immediately responded and later moved in front with a three-point run. Another sequence of four straight points closed out the match on the first opportunity. Théo Faure finished with 16 points for France, while Turkey’s Adis Lagumdzija also scored 16. France’s perfect start has kept them in step with Germany at the top of the group and given them a clear route to strengthen their standing against Latvia.