Iran, powered by Meisam Ali Pour’s commanding performance, defeated Egypt 3-1 (25-14, 25-15, 20-25, 25-8) on Thursday in the men’s sitting volleyball semifinals of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in North Paris Arena. This victory puts Iran firmly on track for their third consecutive Paralympic gold, following their triumphs at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, as they pursue an eighth overall Paralympic gold in the discipline.
Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina have a long-standing rivalry in men’s sitting volleyball, having faced each other multiple times in Paralympic finals, including five encounters since Sydney 2000. They will meet again in the final on Friday, September 6.
Ali Pour was unstoppable, delivering 21 points, including 16 spikes, one block, and four aces. His captain Davoud Alipourian contributed 15 points, while Morteza Mehrzad added 13 points in the three sets he played. Egypt’s standout players, Elsayed Moussa and Metawa Abouelkhir, each scored 10 points, with Abouelkhir excelling in the fourth set. While Iran showcased their offensive might with 59 successful spikes and 11 service winners, Egypt’s defensive resilience was highlighted by 14 blocks.
In the first set, Egypt briefly gained momentum and recorded an 8-4 lead, but Iran responded strongly with Ali Pour, Alipourian and Mehrzad’s attacks, driving them forward. Despite Egypt’s efforts, Iran capitalized on several errors, including a block error from Mohamed Abouleyazeid to close the set 25-14 Iran’s favour, establishing dominance early in the match.
Iran quickly found their rhythm, taking control with powerful attacks and precise serves. Egypt briefly gained momentum, closing the gap at 8-4 in their favour. However, Iran responded strongly, with Meisam Ali Pour’s spikes and Davoud Alipourian’s attacks driving them forward. Despite Egypt’s efforts, Iran capitalised on their strength and a Sadegh Bigdeli spike closed the set 25-14 in Iran’s favour, establishing their dominance early in the match.
In the second set, Iran continued to assert their dominance, quickly taking a 10-3 lead with a combination of strong serves and attacks from strong attacks from Alip Pour and Ali Pourian. Egypt tried to counter with efforts from captain Hesham Elshwikh, but Iran’s relentless pressure pushed the score 18-10. Alipourian’s fast serve added to Egypt’s struggles and a series of errors by Egypt, including a critical error by Saad Moussa allowed Iran to wrap up the set…
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