Slovenia pulled out one of the biggest upsets in major volleyball competitions, defeating the heavily favoured Italians to enter the finals and secure their first medal ever.

This is also one of the biggest achievements for Slovenia in team sports, coming after the volleyball team already defeated powerhouses Netherlands and Poland in the play-off and quarter-finals, respectively.

The Italians were a match for the Slovenians only in the second set, which they won with the minimum margin, while the remaining three sets saw Slovenia dominate one of the most successful nations in volleyball.

Slovenia were particularly dominant in the first set, blowing the Italians off the floor with 25:13 to show what will be happening in the remainder of the match.

"This is a fantastic win. I trusted the guys immensely and they did not let me down. I knew that they have strength, that they have character, and they showed all of this today," Slovenia's head coach Andrea Giani said after the win.

The legendary Italian added that all these feelings had to be put aside soon as an even more important match was awaiting the team tomorrow. "I said before that Slovenia has the quality to become the European champion, and I still believe this."

In Sunday's finals, Slovenia will play the winner of the second semi-finals match between France and tournament hosts Bulgaria, which is under way.