Urmia, Iran, August 21, 2023 – The Final 12 in the 22nd Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship is complete. The field that will be further contending for the coveted crown was confirmed Monday evening following an exciting last day of pool play in Urmia, Iran.
Eight teams had already secured their berths the night before comprising defending and consecutive two-time champions and hosts Iran, Japan, Qatar, Chinese Taipei, Iraq, Korea, Pakistan and Bahrain. Joining them in the competition’s next phase are China, Indonesia, Thailand and India.
Action in the Final 12 will be held Wednesday, with the pairings determined by a draw held late Monday night at the competition venue, pitting the six pool winners against the six runners-up.
Pool A table-toppers Iran will take on Pakistan, while Pool B winners Japan will face Bahrain. China, first place in Pool C, will lock horns with India, while Pool D top-placers Chinese Taipei will battle against Iraq. Pool E winners Qatar will play Thailand, while Pool F victors Korea will take on Indonesia to wrap up the Final 12 match-ups.
As per the tournament format, the winners of the Iran-Pakistan and Japan-Bahrain contests will advance directly to Friday’s semi-finals, while the four other victors from the Final 12 will face off in the quarterfinals on Thursday, in order to decide the other two berths in the last four.
The gold and bronze medal games will be held on Saturday, the concluding day of the championship, along with the other final classification contests.
The Iranians were once again the top draw in Monday’s five-match programme at Al Ghadir Hall’s two playing courts.
They marched through as Pool A winners following a resounding come-from-behind 3-1 (19-25, 25-12, 25-15, 25-14) victory against Iraq, rewarding their thousands of loyal supporters who packed the arena and provided their team a fantastic boost.
Opposite spiker Amin Esmaeilnezhad had 16 points to spearhead the Iranians, four of which came on service winners, while middle blocker Mohammad Valizadeh contributed 11, including six on blocks. Iraq’s opposite spiker Hussein Nameer Shamil Kamoona had 10 markers to pace his team, while middle blocker Islam Sachit Challab Matrawi finished with eight.
China scraped through to the next stage as Pool C winners following a hard-earned 3-2 (20-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-17, 15-12) triumph over Kazakhstan.
Bronze-medallists from the previous edition in 2021, the Chinese needed to battle back from a set down twice against the Kazakhs to claim the win and secure their place in the Final 12.
Outside hitter Wang Bin scored a game-high 22 points to pace the Chinese, while opposite Zhang Guanhua added 18. Opposite spiker Maxim Michshenko was the best scorer for the Kazakhs with 19 points, while skipper Nodirkhan Kadirkhanov had 15 in the loss.
“We had a very difficult match against Kazakhstan at some points, my players were emotional,” said China head coach Hou Chundi. “In the beginning, we could not manage the match, but later on, we reached harmony and finished the game in our favour.”
With Kazakhstan’s second straight defeat, Indonesia made it through as Pool C runners-up along with the Chinese.
Kazakh head coach Boris Grebennikov commented: “After the first set, we wanted to put pressure on the opposing team but their players put pressure on us with their good serves, and finally they won this sensitive match.”
In Pool B, Thailand earned their spot in the last 12 after shutting out Uzbekistan 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-16) and thus eliminating them from further title contention.
The Thais needed to claim their first win of the competition to join undefeated Japan in the next stage from their group, and they delivered confidently. Thailand were led by the 14 points of captain Anut Promchan and the 13 contributed by opposite Napadet Bhinijdee.
“We changed our strategy against Uzbekistan, and we were surprised,” said Anut. “We had a good performance on our net defence, which helped us to widen the gap.”
Middle blocker Azizbek Kuchkorov had nine markers to pace the Uzbeks, while outside hitter Bunyodbek Khosinov added seven.
Uzbekistan head coach Rakhimkulov Karimjon said: “My players did not follow tactical rules and made many mistakes, which was the main reason for our loss.”
India came away with a 3-1 (25-15, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19) decision against a battling Afghanistan to secure their ticket to the Final 12 alongside Qatar from Pool E.
Ashwal Rai had a fine performance for the victors with 23 points, which included five blocks, while skipper Jerome Vinith Charles added 21. “We definitely have a lot to say in the elimination stages; we are generally satisfied with the result,” said Charles post game.
Afghanistan captain Mohammad Sabawoon Wardak scored 16 to pace his side, while Ghulam Rasool Hidari added 13 points.
Korea and Pakistan faced off for Pool F supremacy and it was the Koreans who came out on top despite giving up the first set.
Opposite spiker Heo Subong had a game-high 26 points including three service winners to spearhead Korea in the hard-earned 3-1 (26-28, 25-20, 32-30, 25-22) win, while outside hitter Jung Jiseok chipped in with 23. Opposite Murad Khan paced the Pakistanis with 23 points while outside hitter Usman Faryad Ali finished with 18.
Korea head coach Do Hun Im commented: “Our team is very young and have little experience in international events. We will improve match by match.
“Pakistan’s [Usman Faryad Ali] and [Murad Khan] had good ability to attack. In the next matches, we will use players who can control the opponent.”
Pakistan’s head coach Brazilian Issanaye Ramires Ferraz said: “Every match in this tournament is a final for us. We have to work on our defense based upon the analysis. We analysed Korea very well. The overall performance of the Pakistan team was satisfactory.”
Attending Monday’s match was Korean Ambassador to Iran Yun Kang-Hyeon, along with Korean Embassy Consul Kang Jin Ju and Korean Embassy Interpreter Officer Nastaran Alimardanian.
Tuesday is a rest day in the tournament.
Aside from the Final 12, classification games to determine the 13th-to-17th rankings will also be held from Wednesday, featuring Hong Kong China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
MATCH RESULTS
POOL RANKING
MATCH SCHEDULE
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