Iranian boys flying high at FIVB U19 World Championship
Iran registered a second successive victory at the FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championship in San Juan, Argentina, thanks to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-12) rout of Puerto Rico on Thursday.
Mohammad Vakili’s boys had opened their campaign in Pool C with a straight-set win against South Korea.
Abolfazl Mahdian and Matin Hosseini contributed with a game-high 12 points apiece for the two-time world champion, which tallied a remarkable 10 aces against Puerto Rico – including four for outside-hitter Hosseini.
The result kept Iran atop the pool with three wins as Vakili’s team has already been handed a 3-0 win against Nigeria after the African side withdrew from the competition.
Chasing a first world title since 2017, Iran will face Colombia – beaten in four sets by South Korea on Thursday – in the final match of the preliminary round today.
Elsewhere on Thursday, USA, having rested on the first day of the competition, got off to flying start in Pool A with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-15) sweep of Costa Rica, while Argentina walked away with a second victory on home soil, beating Serbia 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-22).
Belgium also celebrated a straight-set victory in their opening Pool D game in San Juan, hammering Chile 25-21, 25-18, and 25-22.
Reigning European champion Italy tops Pool D after claiming a 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-21) win against Mexico.
The biggest upset of the tournament so far came in Pool B, where France pulled off a 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-18, 25-19) triumph over the world’s number one U19 team Bulgaria.
The top four of each group will progress to the last-16 round.