Esmaeilnejad gives Iran injury scare ahead of World Championship
Iran head coach Roberto Pizza was dealt a massive blow in his team’s preparation for the upcoming FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship after star opposite Amin Esmaeilnejad suffered an ankle injury during a 3-1 victory (25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21) over Qatar in Doha on Sunday.
Esmaeilnejad, who was Iran’s top scorer in the Volleyball Nations League preliminaries earlier in the summer, was forced out of the game in the closing stages of the second set. Early assessments, however, brought positive news for the Italian coach, showing no fracture in his twisted ankle.
The Iranian will still have to undergo an MRI scan today to determine the timeline for his return to action.
Iran will begin its campaign at the World Championship against Egypt in Pool B on September 14, and then faces another African test in Tunisia two days later, before taking on host Philippines on Sept. 18.
The top two of the group will progress to round of 16.
Iran will be looking to build on a decent run in the Nations League, during which Piazza’s men won six out of 12 games to finish eighth in the preliminary table but ultimately missed out on a place in the quarterfinals, as China – second from bottom in the standings – automatically qualified as the host of the VNL Finals.