Tehran, Iran, September 19, 2019 – Hosts Iran stunned Chinese Taipei in thrilling three sets 25-19, 27-25, 25-21 to reach the Friday’s semi-finals of the SMM 20th Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship at the 12,000-seater Azadi Sports Complex.
Against Chinese Taipei, the host side excelled in defence and had good teamwork, with their spectacular attacks overcoming the tough rivals’ solid blocks. Struggling to win the first two sets 25-19, 27-25, Iran went on their fine form to win the thrilling third set 25-21 and match.
Prolific Amir Ghafour chipped in with 14 points for Iran. No player from Chinese Taipei scored with double digits, with Liu Hung-Min leading the team with 8 points from 19 attempts.
After the match, Iran head coach Igor Kolakovic said, “Today we beat Chinese Taipei and we should challenge Korea that their volleyball style is like Chinese Taipei’s. Korea are motivated to beat us but I hope we can prove a cut higher.”
Iran will next battle it out with unbeaten Korea in the semi-final match on Friday, while Chinese Taipei will challenge India in the 5th-8th playoff clash.
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