Argentinian player Facundo Conte powered the Argentine frontline with 26 markers in their 3-1 (27-25, 22-25, 25-22, 26-24) victory over powerhouse Iran.
Conte blasted 22 kills and three service aces, and deflected an attack; then Sebastian Sole commanded their net defence, scoring eight of their 16 total blocks. Seyed Mohammad Mousavi top scored for Iran with 13 points.
Iran started with a 5-1 lead that forced Argentina to call an early timeout, the next plays favored Argentina as Ezequiel Palacios nailed spectacular combination plays handed out by Luciano De Cecco. The South Americans kept their lead when Facundo Conte got involved on offence, but the Iran’s persistence in the late plays prevailed to secure the set at 27-25.
Argentina leveled the match 1-1 with a 25-22 victory in the second set, but they had a difficult track at the beginning when Iran attacked well from both flanks. Velasco’s key substitution at the end of the set changed the tempo that allowed them to score the final three points. In the third set, Conte got involved again on the Argentine offence that helped them get another good break to seize the set 25-22. Argentina lost a 23-18 lead in the fourth set when Iran scored on a 5-0 run, mostly coming from Mojtaba Mirzanjapour’s serve, to tie the score at 23-all. However, Argentina showed more focus to end the set and match at 26-24.
HA/2908379