Iran wins hard-fought match against Argentina in FIVB Volleyball World League

The national Iranian men's volleyball team has achieved a hard-fought win at the 2017 Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) World League, defeating the Argentine side.

The Iranian squad overcame Argentina 3-2 (29-27, 25-20, 20-25, 23-25, 15-11) in a Pool D1 - Group 1 match at the Azadi Volleyball Hall in western Tehran and in front of ecstatic fans.

Both teams were fighting point by point at the start of the opening set, and Argentines managed to win a long rally to reach 8-6. The South Americans extended the deficit to 16-12 by the second technical time out.

Iran’s head coach Igor Kolakovic then fielded Mohammad Javad Manavinejad and Farhad Salafzoon. The hosts soon managed to narrow the gap to 18-19.

The excitement of the home crowd coupled with Argentina’s 35-year-old libero Alexis Gonzalez made it a 21-21 tie.

The rally went point for point with no team willing to give in one iota. Manavinejad was on fire, he finally led his team to a 29-27 win in the set.

Iran maintained the lead in the second set, and kept pace with in a much brighter fashion to lead by 8-6 at the first technical time out. The Persians then established a four-point lead at 19-15, and claimed the set at 25-20.

The Argentines, having lost two consecutive sets and seeing their hopes on the verge of collapse, struggled to rack up points as the match went into the third set, and the astonishing services of  Cristian Poglajen helped his South American side stand ahead 16-13.

Argentina then broke away with a 22-17 advantage, and stunned Iran’s fans into silence. The visitors closed the set at 25-20, thanks to an excellent pairing of Sebastian Sole and Santiago Darraidou.

The Iranian volleyball players cherished their hopes in the fourth set as they took an 8-5 lead at the first technical time out. The Argentines, in return, kept their composure and came back to a 10-10 tie.

Argentina then employed an array of attacks to reach the set point at 24-22. The set was sealed at 25-23 Argentina’s way at last.

The battle for victory continued in the tie-break. Iran started well and took a 7-3 lead. The Persians finished the set at 15-11 and celebrated the win.

Mohammad Javad Manavinejad was the leading scorer for Iran with 26 points, while Argentina’s Cristian Poglajen collected 22 points.

“First of all, congratulations to the home crowd who supported us to the end. There was a difficult situation. This match was very important for us. We played a tough match. Argentina played good volleyball technically and tactically. They found solutions for our middle blockers and reception. We won with the spirit of a team,” Kolakovic said after the match.”

He added, “We saw how a young Javad Manavinejad changed everything in the game and our position. He is now injured, but I hope he will soon recover for next week’s matches in Poland. And it is also so interesting for me to see how my players fight for the national team, for their families and countrymen, and for this nice country. It is so impressive, because they put all their effort on the court.”

“Thank God, we won our last home match. We had played Argentina before and the same happened. We won by 3-2. The first set was very important for both teams. It helped us get better with our game. I think, if we had not had Javad Manavinejad, the match would have evolved differently. Fortunately, he did his job very well and the other players used most out of their potential at the sensitive points of the game,” Iran’s captain Saeid Marouf commented.

“Congratulations to the Iranian fans for this win because in the tie-breaker the difference between Argentina and Iran came from the spectators who inspired us to win. Anyway, a victory is always sweet. I hope, we can also do a good job in Poland to finish the tournament in a good position,” he added.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk