Playing at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall, Turkey twice came from behind to beat the reigning world and Olympic champions. The sets ended 16-25, 25-22, 12-25, 25-21 and 15-12.
Italy took the opening set 25-16 before Turkey leveled the match by winning the second 25-22. Italy regained the lead with a 25-12 victory in the third set.
Turkey responded by taking the fourth set 25-21, sending the final into a deciding fifth set. The hosts won the final set 15-12 to claim the championship.
The victory gave Turkey its second European title after its first championship in 2023. Turkey was among the tournament hosts and played the final-stage matches in İstanbul.
Turkey reached the final after beating Azerbaijan 3-0 in the round of 16, Germany 3-1 in the quarterfinals and Serbia 3-0 in the semifinals.
Serbia defeated Poland in the third-place match to take the bronze medal.
(VK)
