FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championship:
Iran makes quick work of Egypt to progress to last 16
Iran claimed a comfortable 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-20) victory over Egypt on Monday to secure a last-16 spot at the FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U19 World Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Mohammad-Amin Rahimi contributed 11 points – including double aces – for Iran, with fellow outside-hitter chipping in 10.
Egyptian middle-blocker Abo Gabal scored a game-high 12 points, while outside-hitter Zeyad Ghonim added seven for the African side, which suffered a third defeat in Uzbek capital.
This was a third successive win for Adel Gholami’s boys in Pool C, following a five-set loss to Spain on the opening day of the competition.
Chasing a third world under-19 title, and first since 2017, Iran bounced back from the first-day setback to edge Poland in a five-set thriller, before easing past Tunisia in straight sets.
Runner-up to France in the previous edition in 2023, Iran will square off against Italy in the final round of the group phase today.
“Iran’s group features some decent sides of the tournament in Spain, Italy, Poland, and even Tunisia and Egypt, which came here as the top two of the African Championships,” Gholami said after the game.
“We knew it was going to be a tough group, and the challenges would only grow with each game, but thank God, today’s win confirmed a place in round of 16 for us. Hopefully, we can achieve another positive result against Italy tomorrow and then see what comes our way in the knockouts,” added the former international middle blocker.
“We were aware of Egypt’s weakness in transition plays. we performed exceptionally well in reception, serving, and attacking throughout the match, though our players were a bit hasty with their decision-making at times, making things harder for us, which is normal given their age and experience level.”
The top four in each of the four six-team groups will progress to the round of 16.
Elsewhere on Monday, defending champion France overcame a two-set deficit to beat Japan 3-2 (33-35, 23-25, 25-21, 25-19, 17-15) in Pool B, while Belgium secured a top-four finish in Pool A, thanks to a 3-1 win (25-14, 20-25, 25-19, 25-12) against Türkiye.