In the final encounter on Friday, the Iranian team comprising Mohammadreza Alejalil, Omran Kookjili, Morteza Narimani, Mahan Barzkar, Taha Behboudnia, Armin Qelichniazi and Morteza Tabatabaei lost to the European side 1-3 (22-25, 25-16, 18-25 and 21-25) at the Estadio Aldo Cantoni, San Juan.
With middle blocker Joris Seddik setting the tone on the block and captain Mathis Henno putting away three aces, the French were well in control throughout the first set.
In the second set, the young Iranian team stepped up their serving, while the French team made far too many mistakes that allowed the opponents to break away with a wide lead and level the game.
France’s Adrien Roure was in phenomenal form in the third set. Tallying three points in blocking and another six in attack, he helped his team to be in the commanding position again.
The French side stole the show in the decider, putting up an outstanding performance to take the set 25-21 and with that the championship as well.
Alejalil was Iran’s leading scorer with 14 points.
In the bronze medal match earlier on Friday, South Korea romped home with a 3-1 (25-18, 25-19, 21-25, 25-23) win over the United States.
The 2023 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U19 World Championship, the 18th edition of the international tournament, started in San Juan, Argentina, on August 2, and finished on August 11.
