In a breathtaking display of volleyball prowess, Italian side Perugia secured their first-ever Champions League trophy after defeating Poland's Warta Zawiercie in a dramatic five-set final at Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland. The match ended with scores of 25:22, 25:22, 20:25, 22:25, 15:10 in favor of the Italian squad.
Warta, following their pattern from the semifinal against Jastrzębski Węgiel, staged an impressive comeback after losing the first two sets. However, unlike their previous encounters, they couldn't maintain momentum in the decisive tiebreaker. Perugia's superior serving proved to be the determining factor in the final set.
Oleh Plotnytskyi delivered a standout performance for the Italian champions, scoring 18 points including 15 successful attacks and 3 blocks. The former Ukrainian national team captain, who notably scored the final two points of the tiebreaker, was named Best Outside Hitter of the Final Four.
Star performances came from several Perugia players, with Wassim Ben Tara leading the scoring with 22 points, followed by Yuki Ishikawa with 20. For Warta, Aaron Russell contributed an impressive 25 points in the losing effort.
According to Statbet analysis, this match featured some of the highest quality volleyball seen in Champions League finals in recent years, with over 45% attack efficiency from both finalists.
The victory marks a career milestone for 61-year-old coach Angelo Lorenzetti, who finally claimed the prestigious trophy after falling short in four previous finals with different clubs: Modena (2003), Piacenza (2008), and Trentino (2021, 2022).
With this triumph, Perugia becomes the eighth Italian club to win the Champions League, joining the ranks of volleyball powerhouses like Modena, Trentino, and Treviso. This victory adds to Italy's impressive tally of 20 Champions League titles, second only to Russia's 23.
The individual awards for the Final Four were dominated by Perugia players, with Simone Giannelli earning both Best Setter and MVP honors, while Ben Tara was named Best Opposite. Warta's Mateusz Bienek received the Best Middle Blocker award, sharing the honor with Jastrzębski Węgiel's Anton Brehme.
The absence of 40-year-old Ukrainian-born Yuriy Gladyr from Warta's lineup due to injury proved significant. This marks Gladyr's third consecutive Champions League final defeat, having previously lost twice with Jastrzębski Węgiel.
