Iran to face China in volleyball final

Iran’s men’s national junior volleyball team is set to face China for the title of the 17th Asian U20 Men’s Volleyball Championships in the Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain.

The two Asian powerhouses, which have already booked their tickets for the FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship scheduled for next year in Mexico, will clash in the Bahraini capital, Manama, on Saturday.

Earlier in the day and before the final match, host nation Bahrain, will take on South Korea in the third place play-off match.

On Friday, Iran advanced to the finals after defeating host nation, Bahrain, 3-1 (25-14, 21-25, 26-24 and 25-15).

“Bahrain lost today, but they showed they are a very good team, a very strong team,” Iran’s coach, Farhad Nafarzadeh, said after the match.

Bahrain’s coach Ali Ridha admitted that a very good team defeated his, saying, “We played two very good sets. Iran has more experience than our team. They have a good team, they are taller than us – they are strong. They know when they get to 20 points how to win a set.”

China also cruised its way into the gold medal match following a competitive four-set game against South Korean opponents.

The young Chinese athletes edged past South Koreans 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-17 and 26-24).

The 17th Asian U20 Men’s Championship opened in Bahrain on October 17, and will wrap up on October 25.

Pool A consisted of Bahrain, the Maldives, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. Chinese Taipei, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait and Uzbekistan were in Pool B, while China, New Zealand, South Korea and Sri Lanka made up Pool C.

Iran had been drawn in Pool D along with Hong Kong, India, Qatar and Turkmenistan.

MP/HJL/SS