WARSAW, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia beat Poland 3-1 (25-23, 24-26, 25-22, 25-23) in Ljubljana and advanced into the final of Volleyball Men's European Championship on Thursday.
Losing just one set in the tournament, Poland were the favorites in the tournament. However, after beating current European Champions Russia in the quarterfinal, Alberto Giuliani's players hoped they made another surprise at home crowd.
The Poles had a problem into the tournament, arriving to Ljubljana as their flight was cancelled due to the the airline's strike. Mateusz Morawiecki, the Prime Minister of Poland, helped the team, sending the plane of the government.
The two-time reigning world champions started very solid, but then the co-hosts of EuroVolley turned the set. Although Giuliani's team were down 17-20, they equalized and put the rivals under pressure, winning the first set.
Wilfredo Leon, who led his team to victories in the previous matches, did his best and was the most prolific player of Poland again, but it wasn't enough for Slovenia. Committing simple errors, Poland showed that they aren't in a good shape this time, while Slovenia were playing better and better.
Tine Urnaut was the best scorer for his team with 18 points. The co-hosts, supported by a loud crowd, won 3-1 and surprisingly secured their place in the final.
Giuliani's team will battle for gold medal against Serbia or France. The match will be played on Sunday in Paris.
