OSTRAVA, Czech Republic Olympic gold medalists Yugoslavia added the European championship to their trophy cabinet when they beat Italy in straight sets to win the men's final on Sunday.

The Yugoslavs, who beat Russia in straight sets to win the Olympic title a year ago, won 25-21 25-18 25-20 in a battle between the world's two top-ranked teams and gained revenge for their 1998 world championship final defeat by the Italians, Reuters said.

Aggressive serving and strong blocking enabled the Yugoslavs to dominate from the start and claim their first ever European title.

"After two years of playing with the new rally point system, we finally found out how to beat everyone," said Yugoslav Head Coach Zoran Gajic.

Russia beat the Czech Republic in five sets to win the third place playoff.

The women's European championship takes place later in September in Bulgaria.