‘Morale-boosting’ display for Iran U19 ahead of World Championship
Iran head coach Mohammad Vakili hailed his team’s “morale-boosting” performance in a friendly tournament in São Paolo ahead of the upcoming FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U19 World Championship in San Juan, Argentina.
On Sunday, Vakili’s boys came out on top against Bulgaria in straight sets (25-20, 25-19, 31-29) in the final showdown of the four-team event, which also featured the Brazilian under-19 side and SESI São Paulo U21 team.
This was a third victory in the Brazilian city for the reigning Asian champion, which will be chasing a third world title – first since 2017 – in San Juan.
Iran beat Brazil in four sets (25-21, 28-30, 25-17, 25-19) in the opening game before suffering a straight-set defeat (25-21, 25-22, 26-24) against Bulgaria – runner-up to Poland in the previous World Championship in Tehran two years ago.
Vakili’s side was back in the winning ways, beating SESI São Paulo 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-21) for a place in the final showdown.
“The tournament was a morale booster for us and helped improve the harmony in the team before the World Championship,” Vakili said after the final match.
“We were brilliant in attack and did much better than the Bulgarians in defense. Both sides will be among the favorites in Argentina,” added the Iranian coach, who was excited to see his boys receiving “such a massive support by the Brazilian fans.”
“I didn’t expect such a crowd cheering our team. This shows Iranian volleyball’s strong fanbase all over the world, most notably in the South American countries,” Vakili said.
There were also individual recognitions for the Iranian players in the tournament as Taha Behboudnia took the MVP and Best Middle Blocker awards while Mahan Barzkar was named the joint Best Opposite Spiker.
A 2021 bronze medalist on home soil, Iran will begin its World Championship campaign with a game against fellow Asian side South Korea on Wednesday before taking on Puerto Rico, Columbia, and Nigeria in Pool C.
The host country – also the reigning South American champion – will headline Pool A, with the United States, Egypt, Serbia, and Costa Rica also in the group.
Bulgaria is in Pool B alongside India, Japan, France, and Slovenia, while Pool D will see European champion Italy and Brazil as well as Belgium, Mexico, and Chile battle it out for a place in the knockout phase.
The top four teams of each pool will progress to the last-16 round.
Having won a maiden trophy in 2007, Iran is also a two-time silver winner in the under-19 championship in 2001 and 2009, while settling for the bronze medal on three occasions (2003, 2015, and 2017).