The South Americans dropped a set against the Asians, but won in four to get into a good position to advance
Argentine players celebrate their second hard-fought victory in the Philippines
Argentina dropped sets for the second time in as many matches at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Tuesday, but got the job done against Korea and are very close to claiming a spot in the tournament’s Round of 16.
Two days after overcoming Finland in the tie-breaker in their debut, the South Americans had difficult moments against Korea at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, but overcame them to produce a critical 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18) victory.
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The victory got Argentina up to five points in the Pool C standings ahead of their third-round match against France on Thursday. The Olympic champions can, however, do the South Americans a big favor ahead of their encounter, as, if they top Finland, who have one point, later on Tuesday, the Argentines will be automatically guaranteed in the Round of 16. With two defeats, Korea are eliminated from the race for the pool’s two spots in the elimination rounds.
Heavy-hitting opposite Pablo Kukartsev led the South American offense against the Koreans, producing a match-high 21 points, with 16 kills, three blocks and two aces. Luciano Vicentín also had a strong display, contributing 20 points (14 kills, five blocks and one ace), eight more than fellow outside hitter Luciano Palonsky.
“We know that every match in this tournament will be difficult and saw a lot of upsets in the first days,” Kukartsev reacted. “I thought we were very nervous in our debut against Finland, but today I felt the team more relaxed and enjoying the match. I’m happy for this victory and now we want to beat France and finish first in our pool.”
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Outside hitter Heo Subong was Korea’s most effective player in the team’s second match in the Philippines, registering 17 points (13 kills, two blocks, two aces). Opposite Im Donghyeok also got to double digits with 15 points (11 kills, four blocks).
“It was a very tough match,” Donghyeok stated. “Argentina is a very strong team. We couldn’t show our best game against France in our first match, but today was much better and we’re proud of it. Now we’ll try to keep improving to try to get a victory against Finland in our last match here.”
Argentina’s higher number of errors (27 to 21) was what complicated the match for the South Americans, who outscored their opponents in kills (53 to 44), blocks (15 to ten) and aces (nine to five).
2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship: Match Schedule & Results
The match that could seal Argentina’s fate in the tournament, involving France and Finland, is scheduled to start at 18:00 local time (10:00 GMT) on Tuesday in Quezon City.
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