Kathmandu, Nepal, August 19, 2019 – Turkmenistan kicked off their campaign of title defence on a high note as the reigning champions survived a scare from Afghanistan to beat the tough rivals in hard-fought four-set thriller for first win at the 2019 Asian Senior Men’s Central Zone Volleyball Championship on Monday.
Turkmenistan, which stunned hosts Bangladesh with a comeback 3-1 win in the final showdown to reign supreme over the previous edition last year in Mirpu, Dhaka, fielded a strong lineup led by team captain Ruslan Artykov and Suleyman Garlyyev, who stands 195cm tall, from Talpy-Sport Club. Afghanistan also sent a well-organised team with tall players led by the 198cm Yousufi Sayed Habib, the 197cm Mubariz Mohammad Dawood and the 196cm Chaparhari Shafiqullah.
The match turned out to be a tight contest, with both sides producing their best form in an effort of winning their first match. However, Turkmenistan proved steadier to win a close four-set battle 32-30 16-25 27-25 26-24.
Turkmenistan are due to next take on Uzbekistan on Tuesday, with Afghanistan playing Bangladesh.
After the match between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, the opening ceremony took place, with players from seven participating teams parading into the court to hear the welcome speech. Plaques of Appreciation had been given to sponsors and supporters, while AVC Plaque was presented to the organisers. A traditional dance performed in the ceremony also received a big round of applause from spectators at the grandstands.
However, things turned sour for home fans when Nepal, despite putting up a brave fight, went down in close three sets 23-25 22-25 22-25 to Kyrgyzstan in the curtain-raising encounter. Kyrgyzstan will next go up against Maldives on Tuesday, with Nepal having a rest day.
The day’s last match saw Uzbekistan brush off Bangladesh in straight sets 25-16 25-16 25-23 to next play Turkmenistan on Tuesday, with Bangladesh taking on Afghanistan.
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