Urmia, Iran, August 25, 2023 – Iran and Japan were billed as favourites at the very beginning of this year’s Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship, and they have both unequivocally lived up to that tag.
The continental juggernauts, each ranked amongst the world’s top 10 national teams, set up a mouth-watering clash for the gold medals on Saturday, as the curtains come down on the prestigious Asian Volleyball Confederation showcase, being held in the volleyball-loving Iranian city of Urmia.
The hosts secured their place in the final after disposing of China in straight sets in their semi-final clash Friday night. The Japanese, meanwhile, shrugged off some early frustrations to rally past Qatar in a four-set nail-biter.
Saturday’s title-decider is a rematch of the gold medal game from the tournament’s previous edition two years ago in the Japanese city of Chiba/Funabashi. The Iranians broke Japan’s hearts then as they claimed their second successive Asian crown and fourth overall. The Japanese will this time be looking to return the favour as they gun for their record 11th continental title, with their last triumph coming in 2017.
The final is scheduled for a 6:00 pm start, local time, and nothing less than an action-packed barnburner is expected.
The gold medal game will be preceded by the bronze medal contest at 3:pm between losing semi-finalists China and Qatar. Two classification games are also slated for 10am (Indonesia vs Thailand) and 1pm (Bahrain vs Pakistan), respectively. The final will be followed directly by the tournament’s awards presentation and closing ceremonies.
Iran put in a class performance against China in their Final Four victory Friday. Despite the best efforts of the Chinese, the Iranians were able to close out the contest 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-23).
Outside hitter Milad Ebadipour Ghara scored 11 points for victorious Iran, while middle blocker Mohammad Valizadeh and opposite spiker Saber Kazemi finished with 10 points each.
Outside hitter Wang Bin led China with 12 markers, while middle blocker Wang Dongchen and outside hitter Deng Xinpeng contributed six points apiece.
“We played well but Iran showed a maximum level of themselves,” said China head coach Hou Chundi. “The fans helped the team. They are amazing and it is very tough to play while a huge number of the crowd is with the hosts.”
The Iranians are chasing history in Saturday’s finale. The defending and successive two-time champions are hoping…
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