The Swedish National Team, the absolute underdogs at the 1989 CEV European Championship, beat the mighty Soviet Union in the semifinals of the tournament!
Sweden, who qualified for the semis as No.2 in their pool but only due to a better set ratio compared to Bulgaria and France, as they all had a 3-2 record, faced the Soviet Union. The mighty Soviet Union. The Soviet Union who won, believe it or not, 11 straight gold medals in European Champs prior to the one in 1989!
But, on the wings of 7,000 fans in a newly built “Globen Arena” in Stockholm, Sweden threw Russians on their knees in the tie-break! How did they do it? Well, they had a mastermind at their bench – the coach Anders Kristiansson, who has been recently inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
In the finals of the tournament, Sweden succumbed to Italy by a 3-1.
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