Pakistan will play defending champions Iran and hosts Japan will face China in the semi-finals of the men’s volleyball competition at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya after all four sides won their quarter-finals in Japan.
Pakistan beat India in straight sets in a quarter-final. The straight-sets victory put Pakistan into the last four and set up a meeting with an Iranian team which had to recover from two sets down against South Korea.
China also progressed in three sets against Thailand, while Japan completed a similarly decisive win over Qatar. The quarter-final outcomes leave two contrasting semi-final contests: Pakistan against the reigning champions, and the host nation against a China side which withstood two close opening sets.
Pakistan set up Iran test after India win
Pakistan took one hour and 22 minutes to eliminate India, according to the Asian Volleyball Confederation. Murad Khan was central to that result, registering 19 points. The opposite hitter made 18 successful attacks from 33 attempts and added an ace.
Faryad Ali Usman added 13 points as Pakistan completed the match without conceding a set. The 25-23 second set was the closest of the contest, but Pakistan maintained their advantage through the third set to secure their place in the semi-finals.
The result gives Pakistan an immediate test against Iran, who remain in contention to retain the title they won previously. Pakistan enter the semi-final after Murad Khan recorded 18 successful attacks from 33 attempts against India, while Iran’s comeback against South Korea showed the champions’ capacity to respond when their progression is under pressure.
Iran came through 25-23, 18-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-10 after South Korea had moved 2-1 ahead. Six Iranian players finished in double figures, underlining that their recovery was not dependent on one scorer. Ali Hajipor Moghaddam Farouj led them with 16 points, including 15 attacks and a block, while Amin Esmaeilnezhad supplied 12.
Morteza Sharifi, Poriya Hossein Khanzedeh, Ali Haghparast and Seyed Eisa Naseri Chenari each recorded 10 points. That spread offers Iran multiple contributors heading into the match with Pakistan, whereas Pakistan will arrive having seen Khan lead their scoring against India.
Japan and China progress in straight sets
China overcame Thailand 25-23, 25-23, 25-19 to book the other semi-final place. The first two sets were settled by two points, before China created more room in the third to finish the job in three sets.
Outside hitter Wang Bin led China with 15 points and opposite hitter Jiang Chuan added 12. Their contributions helped China negotiate Thailand’s challenge and earn a semi-final against Japan, rather than allowing the match to extend into a fourth set.
Japan’s route was more straightforward on the scoreboard. The hosts defeated Qatar 25-14, 25-13, 25-12, with the three-set result completing the semi-final line-up. Kai Masato led a shared Japanese scoring effort with 10 points, while four team-mates registered at least seven.
Japan reached the last four after a straight-sets win, while Iran needed five sets and China won in three. That difference alone does not determine the outcome of a semi-final, but it means Japan arrive after a match in which their scoring was distributed across the team and Qatar were kept below 15 points in every set.
China, by contrast, had to deal with sustained pressure in the first two sets against Thailand. Its ability to close both 25-23 may be relevant when it meets a Japanese side that dominated its own quarter-final from the opening set.
Quarter-final results
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Pakistan v India | Pakistan won 25-19, 25-23, 25-18 |
| Iran v South Korea | Iran won 25-23, 18-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-10 |
| China v Thailand | China won 25-23, 25-23, 25-19 |
| Japan v Qatar | Japan won 25-14, 25-13, 25-12 |
Pakistan-Iran and Japan-China are therefore the two remaining routes to the men’s volleyball final at Aichi-Nagoya.