JERUSALEM, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Israel secured its second victory in as many matches at the 2023 Men's European Volleyball Championship, edging out Romania 3-2 on Thursday night.

For Romania, it marked its second loss in Group D, hosted at the Shlomo Group Arena in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. The championship's other three groups are being played in Italy, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia.

A successful spike by 17-year-old Shay Liberman, in his first touch of the ball seconds after entering the match, gave Israel the close first set, 27-25.

Romania dominated the second and third sets, 25-12 and 25-21, with standout performances by Alexandru Rata and Adrian Aciobanitei. However, Israel regained momentum in the fourth set, winning 25-22, largely due to Tamir Hershko's efforts.

Israel clinched the decisive fifth set impressively, 15-8, with key plays from Iliya Goldrin and Hershko.

Ido David led Israel with 21 points, followed by Hershko with 19. Genadi Sokolov also made a notable contribution with seven block points. For Romania, Rata was the top scorer with 24 points.

Earlier in the evening, Olympic champions France notched their second win, defeating Portugal 3-1.

Yacine Louati propelled the French to claim the first set 25-21. However, a flawless block by Miguel Sinfronio against Stephen Boyer's spike secured the second set for Portugal, 27-25.

France regained control in the subsequent sets, winning 25-19 and 25-15, largely due to Timothee Carle, who ended the match with a game-high 19 points.

Carle's teammate, Nicolas Le Goff, chipped in with 12 points, while Barthelemy Chinenyeze added five block points. Alexandre Ferreira was Portugal's top scorer with 13 points.

Group D action resumes on Friday, featuring Romania against Turkey and Portugal squaring off with Greece. The top four teams from the group will advance to the Round of 16, set to be hosted in Bulgaria and Italy. Enditem

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