FIVB Men’s Club World Championship:
Foolad remains unbeaten, marches into last four
Foolad Sirjan continued its perfect run at the FIVB Men’s Club World Championship with a straight-set victory (25-16, 25-13, 25-21) over host Praia Clube in Uberlândia, Brazil.
Outside hitter Alireza Abdolhamidi delivered another strong performance, leading the team with 18 points (16 attacks, one block, one ace) as the reigning Asian and Iranian champion cruised into the semifinals as the Pool A winner.
Opposite spiker Ali Hajipour contributed with 14 points (12 attacks, two blocks), while veteran middle blocker Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi chipped in 10 points.
Outside hitter Maicon França and middle blocker Pietro Santos topped the scoring chart for the Brazilian club with eight points apiece.
This was a third successive win for ex-Iran head coach Behrouz Ataei’s men in the competition.
Foolad began its campaign with a sensational five-set victory over Cucine Lube Civitanova, coming from behind to beat the Italian heavyweight 3-2 (25-21, 14-25, 24-26, 25-23, 16-14).
Foolad again had to fight back to defeat Egyptian side Al Ahly in four sets (19-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-19).
Ataei’s side will be looking to become the first Iranian club to lift the world club trophy in the 19th edition of the competition.
the best result for the country came in the 2010 edition in Doha, Qatar, where Paykan walked away with the bronze medal after a win against Argentine club Bolivar.