Incredible Bulgaria Faces Russia in Volleyball Crucial Semi-Final Match

Bulgaria cheer after crushing Germany in the London Olympics quarter final. Photo by Gong

Bulgaria will clash with Russia on Friday afternoon in the keenly awaited semifinals in men's volleyball at the London Olympics and has a chance to write history.

The Lions, as they are known, advanced to the semi-finals following a straight-set victory over Germany on Wednesday 25-20, 25-16, 25-14.

Russia swept Poland in an earlier quarterfinal at Earls Court.

Wednesday's win and the qualification for the semi-finals of London 2012 has become the greatest Olympic success of Bulgarian volleyball since the 1980 Moscow Olympics when Bulgaria won the silver medals.

Four years ago at Beijing a doping controversy dashed its hopes for medals.

The big success comes shortly after team was shaken by an acrid scandal with the Bulgarian Volleyball federation, the resignation of popular and successful coach Radostin Stoychev and key player Matey Kaziyski.

The team is now headed by Nayden Naydenov, who was named Bulgarian men's volleyball team interim coach ahead of the upcoming Olympic tournament.

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