AFTER falling short in its opening match the last time out, world No. 14 Iran pulled off a come-from-behind 23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-16 victory over Tunisia yesterday in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The Iranians entered the win column in Pool A, tying Tunisia at 1-1, thanks to the efforts of Poriya Hossein Khanzadeg Firouzjah, who sizzled with 21 markers off 18 attacks and three service aces.
Skipper Morteza Sharifi also starred for Iran with 18 markers built on 10 attacks, five aces and three blocks, while Ali Hajipour MoghadDam Farouji and Mohammad Valizadeh chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively.
“Like two days ago, the same, we were not in the perfect mood at that moment. Our mind was so stressed and we were really under pressure,” Iran coach Roberto Piazza said. “It’s normal, you know, because when you check the world rankings, Iran is in front.
“Tunisia is back; they have nothing to lose, like every time. This cannot be one that can disturb us,” he added.
Iran is hoping to boost its Round of 16 hopes when it closes its pool phase campaign tomorrow against Alas Pilipinas at the same venue.
In Pool H, powerhouse Brazil is on track to make it into the next round after it rolled to back-to-back victories, this time at the expense of Czechia 25-11, 25-22, 25-18.
Opposite spiker Alan Souza and open hitter Arthur Bento Buczmiejuk shone for world No. 3 Brazil with 12 and 11 markers, respectively, while Judson Amabel Nunes da Cunha Jr. added 10 points.
With the result, Brazil rose to 2-0 while Czechia slipped to 1-1.
“I think the game was very tough. Our team started good and we did a lot of defense, so this is our plan, to play better game by game, step by step so we are happy with this victory,” Souza said.
Over at the Big Dome, Argentina moved closer to bagging its spot in the Round of 16 after keeping Korea winless 25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18 in Pool C.
Veteran Pablo Sergio Koukartsev and Luciano Vicentin erupted with 21 and 20 markers, respectively, for Argentina’s second straight victory.
In Pool F, Ukraine notched its first win as it dismantled hapless Algeria 25-17, 25-12, 25-11.
