Asian Men’s U16 Volleyball Championship:
Iran beats South Korea to advance to last four
Iran began the second group phase of the AVC Men’s U16 Championship with a victory, defeating South Korea 3-1 (25-21, 27-29, 25-22, 25-20) in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, on Wednesday.
A fourth successive win in the Thai city secured a last-four spot for the defending champion at the second edition of the tournament.
“The Iranian players were under a bit of pressure due to the importance of the game, but thank God they controlled the game and walked away with the victory,” Iran head coach Arash Sadeqiani said after the game.
The top spot in the group will be on the line when Iran and Pakistan Square off in the final round of Pool F fixtures today.
Yet to concede a single set in the tournament, Pakistan eased to a 3-0 triumph (25-23, 25-20, 25-20) over Indonesia later on Wednesday to leapfrog Iran on top of the pool table.
Having arrived in the host country on the eve of the competition, Iran began its title defence with a 3-1 win against Indonesia, before coming out victorious against Hong Kong, and Kazakhstan in straight sets to finish atop the Pool B standings.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Japan beat Thailand 3-0 in Pool E to close in on a last-four place.
The top four teams of the tournament will represent the continent at next year’s FIVB U17 World Championship in Doha, Qatar.