FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championship:
Iran eases past Tunisia in straight sets
Iranian boys celebrated a second successive victory at the FIVB U19 World Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, by sweeping Tunisa in straight sets (25-20, 25-15, 25-20) in Pool C on Saturday.
Amirmohammad Rafiei chipped in a game-high 14 points for Iran, with fellow-outside hitter Mohammad-Amin Rahimi contributing 12 points.
Omar Hfaiedh was the Tunisian top scorer with 10 points.
Chasing a third world under-19 title, and first since 2017, Iran got off to losing start in the Uzbek capital, suffering a shock 3-2 defeat against Spain, before bouncing back to defeat Poland in a five-set thriller on Friday.
“We knew Tunisa would struggle with spikes and reception, which is why we played it safe with our serves, focusing more on targeted-zone serving,” Iran head coach Adel Gholami said after the game.
“We performed well on defense, covering the backcourt effectively. We also did much better on transition plays in zone four, and it worked out really well for us,” added the former international middle blocker.
Runner-up to France in the previous edition in 2023, Iran will face another African test in Egypt on Monday, before squaring off against Italy in the final round of the group fixtures on Tuesday.
The top four in each of the three six-team groups will progress to the round of 16.
“We’ll have a full day of recovery tomorrow, so the players will peak their fitness for the game against Egypt,” added Gholami.
“We’re taking it one step at a time in our group, but we’ll also have a look at the teams in other pools, so that the players get accustomed to their style of play.”
Elsewhere on Saturday, Pakistan, the surprise package in Tashkent, continued its impressive run with a third straight-set win in Pool A, beating Turkey 25-17, 25-19, and 25-19.
China, which defeated Iran to the Asian U18 crown last year, stunned defending champion France in Pool B, coming out victorious in a thrilling five-set showpiece (37-35, 25-22, 20-25, 20-25, 15-12) at the Sport University Center 1.