On Saturday, the Iranian squad defeated the Uzbek side 3-1 (19-25, 25-22, 25-16 and 25-22) in the final showdown of the tournament in the Uzbek capital city of Tashkent.
It was just a high-octane affair with both sides playing aggressively. Iran’s firepower and skill, though, proved too much for Uzbekistan.
The hosts fought relentlessly throughout and showcased a slew of astounding defensive efforts. They got the first set 27-25.
However, Iran’s firepower started to take hold in the second set. Iranians dominated Uzbekistan’s serves and impressively counterattacked to claim the tight set 25-22.
Iran continued to surge forth in the third set, and took the crucial period by 25 points to 16.
Iranian volleyball players were made to work for their victory, and finally closed the fourth set 25-22.
Earlier in the day, China Taipei moved past Pakistan 3-1 (25-13, 18-25, 25-23 and 25-22) to collect the tournament’s bronze medal.
The 2023 Asian Men’s U-16 Volleyball Championship was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan between July 22 and 29.
The young Iranians had previously defeated Japan, Saudi Arabia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei in the competition.
The competition served as the Asian qualification tournament for the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Men’s U-17 World Championship.
Iran, Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei qualified for next year’s world championship.
