Asian Men’s U16 Volleyball Championship:
Iran rallies past Indonesia in opener
Iran came from behind to beat Indonesia in four sets and get off to winning start at the Asian Men’s U16 Volleyball Championship in Thailand.
Having arrived at the host city of Nakhon Pathom on the eve of their Pool B opener, Iranian boys suffered a 25-21 defeat in the first set before coming out victorious in the following sets by 25-21, 25-19, and 26-24 scorelines, respectively.
“Lack of preparation and the long trip clearly had an impact on our team, and the players could only unleash 20 percent of their true potential today,” Iran head coach Arash Sadeqiani said after the game.
“We’re here to defend our title, and we will work hard to accomplish that despite all the problems we’ve had to deal with,” added the Iranian.
Elsewhere in the group Kazakhstan defeated Hong Kong in straight sets (25-16, 25-17, 25-22) to sit above Iran on top of the group table.
Iran will be back in action today against Hong Kong, before taking on Kazakhstan on Monday in what promises to decide the top spot of the pool.
The top two teams in each of the four groups will progress to the next round, where eight teams will be split into two groups, with the top two advancing to the semifinals.
The top three teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2026 FIVB Boys’ U17 World Championship in Doha, Qatar.