This is the first time Slovenia have made it among top eight nations in volleyball at European championships.

It is also the first time Slovenia defeated the heavily favoured Dutch in nine official matches between the two countries.

Slovenia were almost perfect in all aspects of the game and needed only 79 minutes to defeat the Netherlands, the country with 125,000 volleyball players that has won two Olympic, one world championship and five European championship medals.

Slovenians do not have much time to celebrate as they are facing reigning world champions Poland in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. Poland and Slovenia played already in the group stage, with the Poles winning 3:1.