Finland won its first ever medals at the Men’s European Volleyball Championship on September 26. The Finns beat Slovenia 3-0 in the third-place playoff in Milan.

Finland won the sets 25-23, 25-20 and 29-27. The third set went past 25 points before Finland finally closed it out 29-27.

It was a historic night for the team nicknamed Veljekset. Finland’s only previous semifinal appearance came 19 years ago. Their dream of a first European title ended with a semifinal loss to France the night before.

But they bounced back. In the first set, Finland survived a late Slovenia rally to win 25-23. They controlled the second set 25-20. The third was a battle, with Slovenia fighting from 17-14 down before Finland sealed the bronze.

Former silver medallists Slovenia missed out on the podium. Finland’s players celebrated wildly as they took their place on the European podium for the first time.

Fans celebrated the bronze as a historic breakthrough for Finnish volleyball.