Iran’s national volleyball team edged past host nation Philippines 3–2 in a thrilling five-set battle, sealing their place in the 2025 Men’s World Championship knockout stage.
The match, played in front of a near-capacity crowd of 20,000, saw Roberto Piazza’s squad overcome a shaky start before eventually prevailing 21–25, 25–21, 17–25, 25–23, 22–20.
Iran struggled in the opening set, overwhelmed by the home crowd’s energy, and lost the set 25–21. However, the team quickly regained composure in the second, dictating play and taking it by the same scoreline, 25–21. Esfandiar’s blistering serves — some clocked above 115 km/h — were key to Iran’s turnaround.
Coach Piazza surprised fans with a bold tactical change, bringing in a libero for outside hitter Esfandiar.
Despite this adjustment, individual errors plagued Iran in the third set while the Philippines delivered their best volleyball of the tournament, taking it convincingly 25–17 to go 2–1 up.
The fourth set was a nail-biter, with both teams exchanging points and showing inconsistency. Iran, however, managed to edge out the hosts 25–23, forcing a decisive fifth set.
In the 5th set, Iran displayed composure and resilience under pressure, eventually triumphing 22–20 to seal the match 3–2.
MNA/
