Iran beat Kazakhstan 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-22) in the opening match at the Hamdan Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon. Pool C also has the strong Kuwaitis in the fray.
The winners get three points for a 3-0 winning margin. The event format allows for three points for those who win 3-0 and 3-1 and, two for a 3-2 win. Losers get 2 points if they go down 2-3 and 1 point for a 1-3 loss.
Action from the volleyball match between the UAE and Uzbekistan on Saturday. — KT photo by Mukesh Kamal
Amir Ghafoor led the well-knit Iranians with a telling all-round display both at the net and in mid court retrieved brilliantly to spur his attackers and the setters.
In the first match, slotted at the mainly swimming stadium, where the water areas have been covered temporarily for the Asian men’s meet, Lebanon got walkover points from Pakistan.
Pakistan pulled out at the last minute leaving the seeding committee and the organisers in a frantic rush to make last minute adjustments for re-grouping the teams and re-arranging the match schedules.
In the revised playing plan at Al Nasr Club, the second venue, seeded India got three points thanks to a walkover from Indonesia who had withdrawn a fortnight ago. Jordan were the first to pull out some 17 days back.
Sri Lanka caused a flutter at Al Nasr Club when they hoodwinked the better rated Omanis in Pool E play during the mid-afternoon session. The 3-0 scoreline in favour of the islanders will be a big encouragement for the fan support in the UAE.
In the second game at the Hamdan SC on Saturday, a young Chinese Taipei outfit which is one for the future taking into account that half the side is born after 1990, played splendidly to surprise a slightly sluggish Saudi Arabia 25-20 in the first set before storming home for a 3-0 win.
Chinese Taipei brought off a stunning but hard fought victory over the seasoned and seeded Saudis in a game stretched well over 2 hours. The early phases saw an error prone yet determined young Taipei clinch the first set 25-21 which set them off to a commanding five-point cushion in the second before Saudi Arabia clawed back momentarily in the Pool D encounter.
The islanders slowly fought their way out of a partial Saudi fightback to draw level midway in the set before running away with a 25-20 scoreline. The GCC side saw their attackers and defence put pressure on the Chinese islanders in the closing stages of the third set when they fought hard to push the issue into 20-23 and 21-23 positions.
The younger and far fitter Far Easterners had things in their bag when they smashed their way past the desperate Saudi blocks for a 25-22 final outcome.
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