Boys’ U19 World Championship reveals early frontrunners as Pakistan stun hosts on Day 2
Pakistan delivered the biggest result of the day, stunning hosts Uzbekistan to remain unbeaten alongside Argentina, France, Bulgaria, Spain, Korea and Finland on Thursday at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U19 World Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with matches held at Yunnusobod Hall and the Sport University Center.
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In Pool A, Pakistan silenced the home crowd with a confident 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-21) win over Uzbekistan. Opposite and captain Muhammad Yahya powered the offense with 24 points, showing his strength on the right side with well-placed attacks that consistently broke through the block. With the victory, Pakistan joined Argentina at the top of the pool standings with two wins apiece.
Argentina were pushed to five sets but ultimately overcame Türkiye 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 15-12) in a high-scoring thriller. Federico Javier Debonis led the South Americans with 19 points, matching Türkiye’s Mehmet Ege Biber. Argentina had a slight edge in attack points, 60-52, which proved decisive in the final set.
Belgium also picked up their first win in Pool A, sweeping Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-16) behind a 17-point effort from Guilhem Hubert.
France huddle at midcourt after scoring against Algeria in Pool B play.
In Pool B, defending champions France made it two wins in two matches with a dominant 3-0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-14) result over Algeria. Pierre Delaporte led with 13 points, while the French defense held Algeria to just 20 attack points.
Bulgaria also improved to 2-0 after surviving a tough third set to defeat China 3-1 (25-18, 25-17, 23-25, 25-19). Zhasmin Velichkov continued his impressive form with a 25-point outing, including six blocks, helping Bulgaria stay unbeaten.
Japan rebounded from their opening-day loss to Canada by earning a 3-1 (27-29, 25-11, 25-23, 25-20) win. Karen Masajedi led with 19 points.
In Pool C, Spain continued their strong start by beating Egypt 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-16, 25-20), led by Cesar Irache’s 20 points. The Spaniards now stand at 2-0, following Irache’s 39-point explosion on opening day.
Iran middle blocker Armin Asiaei (19) celebrates after scoring a point against Poland in their five-set encounter in Tashkent
Iran edged Poland in five sets (25-22, 25-14, 17-25, 14-25, 15-13) to bounce back from their Day 1 loss, with Amir Naderi scoring 23 points, all from attacks. Both teams now hold 1-1 records.
Italy, after a tight loss to Poland, posted a straight-set win over Tunisia (25-18, 25-13, 25-14), spreading the scoring among 10 players led by Federico Argano with 11 points.
In Pool D, Korea secured their second straight win with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-17) victory over Colombia, dominating the attack line with a 55-25 scoring edge and leading in aces 6-1. While Colombia showed better blocking numbers, they struggled to contain Korea’s offense, led by Bang Kangho and Lee Junho who tallied 25 and 20 points, respectively. Maicol Isaac Ortiz Castañeda scored 15 for the South Americans.
Finland’s attacker tips the ball over Brazil’s double block in their win in Tashkent
Finland also picked up a second win, pulling off a surprise 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-22) result against Brazil behind a 17-point performance from Viktor Viljamaa.
The United States bounced back from their opening loss to defeat Cuba 3-1 (17-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-21), with Grant Lamoureux scoring 18 points and Roman Payne adding 13, including six from blocks. USA’s defense proved critical in limiting Cuba’s Yosdani Medina to just 14 points.
2025 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U19 World Championship: full schedule
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