Iran advances in 12th Al-Rashid Int’l Men’s Volleyball Championship
The senior men’s volleyball team from Iran grabbed world-wide attention for displaying an incredible performance in 12th Al-Rashid International Men’s Volleyball Championship in Dubai. The campaign was kicked off on October 8 with six teams from
Asia and continued until Wednesday, 13th October, 2010. Pakistan, India, Iran, Tunisia, Lebanon and home-team UAE took on each other and fought for the title trophy.
The Iranian team, coached by talented Peyman Akbari rose up as the best team of the championship. They opened the championship on the right foot and defeated powerful team from Tunisia in their first match. Afterwards, the Iranian studs continued with success
and left everyone behind in the game.
Iran vs. Pakistan
Iran stroke with Pakistan on Tuesday, 12th October, 2010 and bagged one more victory. The incredible show by Iranian team overwhelmed Green-shirts in three straight sets. Iran posted a score of 25-20, 28-26, and 25-19 in respective sets.
First Set
The first set started out with a caution as both teams were trying to evaluate each other. Pakistani team was down with low status as they couldn’t make any bigger news. It provided an edge to Iran to put pressure on Pakistan. The offensive attack earned
Iran early lead of 8-5 at the first technical timeout (FTT). Nonetheless, the captain of Pakistani team, Muhammad Ismail Khan formed a good strategy and attacked Iran with swift spikes but Iran refused to take any pressure from p**i-side. They counter-attacked
Pakistan and outclassed the opponent with delivery of on-the-spot shots. Ahmed Babaei of Iran played a vital role in raising his team’s score. The Iranian libero was quick to float the ball in air and create perfect opportunities for hitters to smash the ball.
The false actions of Iranian hitters created trouble for Pakistani blockers. The setter sometimes threw the ball across the net with quick movement of his hands. Iran swiftly achieved the match point, while Pakistan trailed behind with a gap of 4 points.
Iran finally finished the first set with 25-20 win over Pakistan.
Second Set
Pakistan really needed to break the rhythm of Iranian players, in order to stop them from taking control in second set. Pakistan came up strong on competitor side and produced good serves. The combined effort of Pakistani team worked out, and they successfully
put Iran behind the attack line. The former captain of Pakistan’s team Zaheer Abbas demonstrated great effort and helped Pakistan to build a lead of 14-10. Pakistan gradually became stronger and showed its tough side to Iran.
The Iranian squad, on the other hand, tried hard to regain the commanding position but mood of the game was changed. Iran attacked with nice volleys and involved Pakistani players in long rallies. They narrowed the gap of points and carefully monitored the
shots by Pakistan. The good blocking and correct spikes brought success for Iran, and they exceeded Pakistan’s score. The Green-shirts suffered another setback when Iran ended the second with 28-26. Pakistan fought bravely but Iran proved to be better side
and extended their lead with another set-victory.
Third Set
Despite of showing great temperament in game, Pakistan still remained on the un-successful side. The decisive third set started with strong attack from Iran. They had grasped the game plan of Pakistan and overcame the loop-holes in their team-line. Iran
brought in better substitutions in third set, which provided a competitive edge to the team. The Iranian team was thrilled with the sense of victory and stormed Pakistan’s court with deadly spikes. The game slipped from Pakistan’s hands, as Iran quickly jumped
to the finish line and secured the third set with the help of 25-19.
Ahmed Babaei of Iran was named the best player of the match and received an award of a cellular phone.
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