Iran posts win over South Korea at 2011 Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship – Volleyball
The hosts of the 2011 Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship, Iran, secured a spot in the final showdown of the competition by winning the semi-final contest against South Korea. The crucial match was held on Wednesday, September 28 in Tehran.
The Iranian team took full advantage of the familiar conditions and ousted the Koreans in four sets. The guest team gave a good competition to the hosts and claimed the first set of the match, 25-21. However, Iran successfully covered the deficit by winning
second set with a 2-point margin at 25-23. Koreans did everything to stop Iran but the home team breezed past to 25-14, 25-20 victories in following two sets and finished off the match with a 3-1 win.
Korea started out aggressively and scored early points, while Iran was yet to be on board. Despite very loud cheers from the Iranian supporters, Korean players showed good tolerance and did not take any pressure. They built a great rhythm and remained ahead
of Iran for the better part of the opening set. Jeon Kwang-In developed good chemistry with his team-mate Yung-Suk and created enough trouble for Iran. The offensive combination worked perfectly and served the purpose of winning the first set for Korea. The
pair added 11 points, which led Korea to success in the first set.
Kim Yo-Han came up with more convincing attacks in the second set. On the other hand, Iranian coach regrouped the team and urged them to stay focused on Kim Yo-Han. By doing so, they stopped Korea right away and also picked up the lead with cross-court shots
from Hamzeh Zarini. Korea resisted in full force and levelled the score at 10-10. Arash Kamalvand took charge of Iran’s offense and put his team back in the lead. Meanwhile, the Iranian skipper Alireza Nadi put in an effort and further helped his side to win
the second set at 25-23.
Iran continued with fine-tuned defence at the net in the third set and their hindered opponent’s performance. Loss of second set shocked the Koreans, while hosts enjoyed a strong lead. They took a jump from 3-0 to 11-3. The situation became increasingly
difficult for Korea and they could not return to the game. Iran extended its lead to 2-1 by winning the third set with a huge margin of 25-14.
Korea gave a miserable performance in third set but built a little momentum in the fourth set. Incredible blocking from Iran was still a problem for the Koreans. Korea's offensive mishaps did the job for Iran in the fourth set and they clinched a 25-20 victory
in the semi-final.
Iran will now take on China in the final match of the 16th Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship on Thursday.
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