Riyadh 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games:
Iran rallies past Türkiye to maintain perfect run in volleyball
The Iranian men’s volleyball team claimed its third consecutive victory at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, recovering from an early setback to defeat Türkiye 3-1 (21–25, 25–23, 25–20, 25–16) on Saturday.
The Asian powerhouse had edged Bahrain in a five-set thriller (25-21, 22-25, 25-16, 22-25, 15-7) in their opening game, before coming out victorious in straight sets (25-22, 25-15, 25-18) against Qatar on Thursday.
“It became a bit complicated for us in the first set and we just couldn’t get our game going. However, this is a team on the rise. We tend to settle into the match and find our game very quickly,” Iranian middle blocker Yousef Kazemi said after Sunday’s victory.
Held in a round-robin format, the men’s volleyball event in Riyadh features six teams – Iran, Türkiye, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Chad – with Iran sitting firmly atop the table on five points.
The top two in the standings will square off in the gold-medal match on Thursday.
“I don’t think there’s a team in this tournament that can challenge us,” Kazemi added, though Iran head coach Peyman Akbari remained wary of the “constant pressure” on his players to win every game.
“We lost the first set because Türkiye simply played better. They’re a strong team, with several experienced players who were part of their squad at the World Championship [in September],” Akbari said.
“We identified Türkiye’s vulnerabilities after the first set, and in the end, our gameplan and the team’s concentration paid off, allowing us to secure a decisive victory. We came here expecting to win, and we got the job done,” added the Iranian coach.
“It’s unfair to put constant pressure on the players to deliver a victory in every single game. When we win, people say we’ve only done our duty – but when we don’t, the reaction is completely different.
“We have yet to secure a place in the final. There are two more games ahead of us, and we have to win them both,” Akbari said.
Iran will take on Chad at the Boulevard SEF Arena today, before facing the host nation on Wednesday.
Qatar defeated Chad 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-18) on Sunday, while Saudi Arabia fell 3-1 (25-27, 25-18, 25-16, 25-21) to Bahrain.