Sensational volleyball team sweeps Belgians aside and heads for European semi-finals

Russian defeat of Italy secures Finnish place in last four

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Finland's volleyball men are fast laying down a marker to be voted "Team of the Year" for 2007. At the European Championships in Moscow, the Finns scored their fourth straight victory on Wednesday, brushing aside Belgium by three sets to one (21-23, 25-17, 25-23, 25-21).
      The win not only secured a place in the top six in the tournament and a guaranteed invitation to take part the next championships in two years' time, but it also won them a place in the semi-finals, and a chance at taking a first-ever European medal.
     
With one round of matches still to be played in Group F, the Finns cannot be overhauled, regardless of what happens when they play the hosts and group leaders Russia. The Russians themselves made sure of this on Wednesday by beating the reigning European Champions Italy in a five-set epic match.
      Finland's Italian-born head coach Mauro Berruto could hardly contain himself after the Russia-Italy game, when it became clear that his players would be staying on in the Russian capital until at least the bronze-medal finals on Sunday afternoon.
      Finland lost their opening game to Italy, but since then they have beaten Croatia, then two definite top-ranking countries in Bulgaria and Poland. And now Belgium, who actually gave them a bit of a fright by taking the first set and forcing the Finns to work hard for their win.
     
Before this tournament, Finland were ranked 29th in the world according to the FIVB listings. Poland, Russia, Italy, and Bulgaria are all Top 10 nations, and three of them are already destined to end up out of the medals and behind the Finns.
      There is a slight irony in the results coming out of Moscow: the Finns have just defeated Poland and Belgium, two of the opponents their footballing colleagues have been facing in the UEFA 2008 European Championships qualifiers, and the chances are that one of the other Moscow semi-finalists, from Group E, could be yet another UEFA 2008 opponent and rival, Serbia.
      So far, it has to be said, the volleyball players are doing a better job than their more famous footballing counterparts.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish volleyball team crush 2006 World Championship finalists in Moscow (12.9.2007)

Links:
  Indesit Men´s Volleyball European Championships, 2007 (Official Site)
  European Championships (Wikipedia)

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