Coach Gholami vows ‘more to come’ from Iranian U19 volleyball team
Iran head coach Adel Gholami said volleyball fans will hear much more about his young players in the future, despite a mixed campaign by his team at the FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Iran suffered a 3-2 loss (23-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-21, 15-10) to Spain on Sunday to settle for a fourth-place finish in the Uzbek capital and miss out on a top-three spot at the biennial competition for only a second time over the past decade.
“It was a close game. We reached the hotel around midnight after yesterday’s game against France and then had to be back at the venue at 12 p.m. today, so the players didn’t have much time to rest and perhaps their fatigue played a part in the defeat,” Gholami said after the game.
Gholami, however, believes his boys “still did a great job” in Tashkent, praising them for “working hard to achieve this feat.”
“They are exceptional young talents and I am sure you will hear much more about this group of players in the future,” said Gholami, who also his team to a runner-up finish behind China at the Asian U18 Championship last year.
“They already have a professional mindset – with brilliant skills in different aspects of the game such as technique, tactics, and adaptability. They’re also very intelligent and there is much more to come from all of them,” added the former Iran international middle-blocker.
“You’ll see them all play at the senior level soon, and I’m sure they will be a joy to work with because they know all about the volleyball basics – their foundation is already solid.”
Sunday’s defeat was a second setback for Iran against Spain in Tashkent, following a 3-2 loss on the opening day.
Gholami’s boys recovered from the first-day defeat to beat Poland, which ultimately won the silver, in five sets and then walked away with comfortable straight-set wins against Egypt and Tunisia.
A 3-1 loss to Italy on the final day of the group phase saw Iran finish third in the six-team Pool C and land Belgium in the round of 16.
Iran overcame Belgium in four sets before defeating surprise package Finland – the only team with a perfect record in the group stage – 3-1 to set a last-four date with defending champion France in a repeat of the 2023 final.
However, Iran’s bid for a first world under-19 title since 2017 ended in vain after France recovered from a first-set defeat to win 3-1 (14-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-19) on Saturday.