PARIS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Olympic debutants Slovenia upset defending champions France 3-2 here on Friday to remain unbeaten in the men's volleyball competitions of the Paris Games.
With the 25-20, 25-23, 25-27, 22-25, 15-11 victory, the Slovenians advanced to the quarterfinals as the top finishers from the preliminary pool A with a 3-0 record, while France have also booked their berth in the knockout stage with two victories and one loss.
Slovenia coach Gheorghe Cretu asked his players to go out for the win before the tiebreaker.
"I said we need this (victory), we need this. To go through as the top team, we need this. This is the best practice you can have," said Cretu.
Also on Friday, Germany swept Argentina 3-0 and the United States beat Japan 3-1 in pool C while Brazil eased past Egypt 3-0 in pool B.
The United States, Italy, Germany, Poland, Brazil and Japan have also secured their berths in the quarterfinals.
