The match took place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, as part of Group 5, while Group 6 matches are being held in Manila, the Philippines.
In a tightly contested battle, Iran won the first set 25-22. The Netherlands came back to take the second set 25-22. Iran then clinched the third set 25-21, but the Netherlands responded by winning the fourth set 25-20. In the decisive fifth set, Iran triumphed 15-10.
This intense encounter came less than 24 hours after Iran’s grueling five-set match against the USA. Despite the short recovery time, the Iranian team managed to outlast the Dutch team in five sets.
Amin Esmaeilnezhad was the standout player for Iran, scoring an impressive 28 points.
With this victory, Iran earned 6.4 ranking points, closing the gap to just 4 points behind Ukraine and climbing one spot in the Volleyball Nations League standings.
The Dutch team, known for their strong Olympic history with six appearances, including a gold medal in 1996 and a silver in 1992, were aiming to boost their chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics. However, Iran’s national team managed to avenge their past defeats, having lost the last three encounters against the Netherlands. This win marks Iran’s first victory over the Dutch team in their five historical matchups.
