Finland secured a historic first EuroVolley medal sweeping Slovenia in straight sets to claim bronze.
Olli Kunnari’s team capped a remarkable tournament with a confident performance, adding another major result to a campaign that included a quarterfinal victory over reigning world champions Italy.
Finland took a closely contested opening set 25-23 before strengthening their grip on the match with a 25-20 win in the second. Slovenia pushed hard to stay alive in the third, but Finland prevailed 29-27 after a tense finish.
The bronze surpassed Finland’s previous best EuroVolley result, a fourth-place finish in 2007. Kunnari was a player on that team before guiding a new generation to the podium as head coach 19 years later.
Nooa Marttila led Finland with 19 points, followed by his brother Luka with 17 and Veikka Lindqvist with 12. Rok Mozic scored 15 for Slovenia.
Result: Finland – Slovenia 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 29-27)