Iran narrowly escaped a massive upset bid from Alas Pilipinas to secure a spot in the Round of 16 at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Thursday in Pasay City.
The Iranian squad was pushed to its absolute limit, enduring five tense sets and fending off five match points before Ali Haghparast and Ali Hajipour delivered the decisive plays to clinch a hard-fought 21-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 22-20 victory over the resilient Filipino team. The grueling, 125-minute battle concluded when Hajipour’s block on a Marck Espejo attack sealed the win.
With the victory, Iran finished Pool A with a 2-1 record, tying Tunisia and advancing to the knockout stage.
Iran’s coach, Roberto Piazza, was candid about his team’s performance, but full of praise for their opponents. “I like that we made it to the Round of 16, but I’m not happy with the way we played,” he said. “The Philippines played an amazing game. They deserved to be in the Round of 16.”
Hossein Poriya led the Iranian charge with 22 points, while Bryan Bagunas was the top scorer for Alas Pilipinas with 22 points, including a crucial kill that knotted the final set at 20-all.
The Philippines nearly had the match won, celebrating what they thought was a Bagunas block to make it 20-18. However, a video challenge overturned the point after discovering a net touch violation, making the score 19-all. Bagunas’s later kill forced the final tie at 20-20 before Iran’s final push secured the comeback win.
The Iranians were among three other teams to advance on Thursday, joined by Argentina and Finland. Argentina pulled off a stunning upset, defeating Paris Olympics champion France 19-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-11 to sweep Pool C.
The USA, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Portugal, Canada, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Belgium had already qualified, leaving four more slots still up for grabs.
