FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship:
Iran fights back against Italy to retain crown
Iran bounced back from an early setback to defeat Italy 3-1 and secure back-to-back titles at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship in Jiangmen, China, on Sunday.
In a repeat of the 2019 and 2023 finals – which the Asian side had won both in five sets – the Italians marched to a 25-15 victory in the opening set. However, Iranian young guns swiftly returned to their familiar best, winning the next three sets 25-18, 25-22, and 25-14 to seal the country’s third trophy in the history of the competition.
“We dedicate this success to the Iranian people, who are going through tough times, and I just hope we have given them something to cheer about,” Iranian captain Mohammadmani Alikhani said after the game.
“From the very beginning, our ultimate goal was to win the title, and I’m glad that we have now achieved it. We had to go through a lot along the way, and just as our head coach said, we cried during training so that we could laugh today after becoming champions,” added the outside hitter.
Alikhani’s teammate Ali Mombeini was also thrilled to see “six months of hard work pay off,” adding, “Every game felt like a final for us, though victories in some, like those against South Korea and the United States [in the semifinals], were even sweeter.”
Iranian outside-hitter Matin Hosseini stole the show at the Jiangmen Sports Center, contributing a game-high 18 points, courtesy of 10 kills, five aces, and three blocks.
With Iran leading 14-11 in the fourth set, the 19-year-old prodigy stepped behind the service line and ignited a 7-0 run – powered by four aces – as his team capped off a dominant campaign in Jiangmen with a clean sweep of eight victories.
Prolific opposite Pouya Ariakhah finished a fourth game in double figures, chipping in 15 points, while Italian duo Tommaso Barotto and Pardo Mati had 14 points apiece.
Sunday’s triumph extended Iran’s winning streak in this age group to a remarkable 29 games over four years under head coach Gholamreza Mo’menimoqaddam – during which the country also claimed successive Asian under-20 titles either side of the world U21 crown in 2023.
There was further glory for the Iranian team in the awarding ceremony as Hosseini was named the Most Valuable Player of the competition, while securing a place in the Dream Team as the joint Best Outside-Hitter – alongside American Sean Kelly, who helped his team to a historic bronze medal in the tournament.
Hosseini rounded off the competition with 112 points, including 81 in attack, 13 from blocks and 18 from service, averaging more than 12 points per match.
Hosseini’s teammate Taha Behboudnia was one of the two Best Middle Blockers, with Emran Kookjili and Morteza Tabatabaei claiming the Best Setter and Best Libero prizes, respectively.
The Dream Team also featured Italy’s Barotto, who earned recognition as Best Opposite, while Mati completed the middle blocker pairing.
Iran began its title defense in Jiangmen with a 3-1 win against Kazakhstan and then defeated Puerto Rico (3-0), South Korea (3-2) Canada (3-0), and Poland (3-1) to finish atop the Pool B table, before coming out on top against Argentina (3-1), China (3-0), and USA (3-0) for a place in the final showpiece.