FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers:
Manolopoulos urges Iran to rediscover form after Philippines defeat
Iran head coach Sotiris Manolopoulos has called on his players to regain the form that saw them go 5-1 in the previous group phase of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian qualifiers after suffering a 68-56 defeat to the Philippines.
Sunday’s defeat in a packed Mall of Asia Arena in Manila summed up Iran’s dreadful start to its second-round Group E campaign, following a narrow 93-91 setback against New Zealand on Friday.
Congratulating the Philippines on “a deserved victory,” the Greek head coach expressed frustration with his team’s defensive shortcomings and poor shooting in the closely contested encounter.
“This was a bitter and bad defeat for us, and now we have to find the strength to rebuild the team and get back on track,” Manolopoulos said.
The coach highlighted the stark disparity in fouls and free-throw attempts, saying Iran’s defensive performance needed significant improvement.
“Despite scoring 56 points, our main problem was on defense,” he said. “The Philippines had 23 free throws in the first half alone, while we had only two. By the end of the game, they had 27 free throws compared with six for us. This shows that we need to significantly improve our concentration and the quality of our defensive play.”
Manolopoulos also criticized Iran’s inability to capitalize on open scoring opportunities, particularly from beyond the arc.
“We had no problem creating opportunities and getting open shots, but we failed to take advantage of them,” he said. “We have excellent shooters on our roster, but making only eight of 31 three-point attempts is simply unacceptable. With those numbers from the free-throw line and from three-point range, it is impossible to succeed in a tight game.”
The defeat left Iran third in the six-team group standings, level on 13 points with fourth-place Jordan, ahead of a crunch doubleheader against Australia and the Philippines in November.
Looking ahead to the remaining qualifying windows, Manolopoulos said Iran must quickly rediscover the style that helped it put together its five-game winning streak in the previous round.
“We had a good performance against New Zealand, and if we had been a little luckier and avoided some mistakes, we could have won that game,” he said. “But today, we were not good at all.
“We have to quickly change our style of play back to what it was before the start of this window – the style that brought us five consecutive victories in the previous round. If we want to remain in contention, there is no alternative but to return to that level of authority and confidence.”