Algeria vs Serbia

Serbia seized control in the opening set, racing to a 25–19 win as Algeria struggled to contain their opponents' attacking rhythm. The second set was far tighter — Algeria responded with a 25–23 win, levelling the match at one set apiece after a string of well-timed blocks steadied their defence.

Serbia reclaimed the lead in the third set, taking it 25–21 with efficient play in transition. But Algeria refused to fade. They forced a decider with another 25–21 win in the fourth, setting up a winner-takes-all fifth set.

The deciding set was the closest of the match. Algeria pushed Serbia to the brink at 13–13, but Serbia held their nerve to claim the final two points and seal a 15–13 victory in the fifth.

The decisive sequence came at 13–13 in the fifth set. After both sides had traded points deep into the decider, Serbia won two consecutive rallies — first through a sharp spike down the line, then via an Algerian attacking error — to close out the match. The two-point margin in the fifth reflected the narrow gulf between the sides across two-and-a-half hours of play.

No official player-of-the-match or individual statistics were published by the tournament organisers at the time of writing. Serbia's attacking unit proved more consistent in the clutch moments, particularly in the first and third sets where they dictated tempo. Algeria's blockers were effective in the second and fourth sets, repeatedly disrupting Serbia's offence to force the decider.

The five-set scoreline (19–25, 25–23, 21–25, 25–21, 13–15) tells a story of two evenly matched sides. Neither team managed consecutive set wins — each side responded to a loss with an immediate victory. The aggregate points margin was narrow: Serbia scored 109 total points to Algeria's 103, a six-point differential across five sets that underscores how close the contest was.

Both Algeria and Serbia entered this match already eliminated from medal contention in Group A. For Serbia, this victory provided a winning end to a difficult group-stage campaign, following their first win of the tournament — a 3–0 sweep of Portugal on 25 August. Algeria finished the tournament without a win, having pushed three opponents to four or five sets (Portugal 2–3, France 1–3, Serbia 2–3) without finding the finishing edge.

Algeria's tournament at the Mediterranean Games concludes with this match. Serbia also exit the competition, with the knockout stage already set among the group's top sides. Both teams now look ahead to future international competitions.

A fittingly competitive finale for two sides already out of medal contention. Serbia showed resilience to bounce back from two separate deficits, while Algeria's inability to close out tight sets — particularly the fifth — summed up their tournament: competitive in stretches, but lacking the final push to convert close matches into wins.