Porya Yali and captain Amirhossein Esfandiar each scored 20 points to led Iran in the 3-2 win (17-25, 25-17, 25-23, 22-25, 15-12) against the European team. Morteza Sharifi also demonstrated a great performance by adding 18 more points.
“The final was such a difficult match. Italy really tried their best in this championship. Nobody could beat them in the earlier rounds. We knew it was going to very difficult, so we also tried to do all we could for the win. My players really worked hard in this match. They are the best and I have the honour that I can be their coach. I dedicate this win to all the people in my country,” Iran coach Ataei Nouri Behrouz told FIVB after the game.
“This medal means all our hard work during training; all our blood, sweat, and tears; all our hardships and pain. We have had extremely difficult preparation to win this championship … Bahrain has been a very good and very memorable place for my volleyball career. For the last three years I have come here, I have won the gold medal with this team. We have won the FIVB U19, Asian U20, and now another world championship for U21. This is a complete set for us,” said Iran captain Amirhossein Esfandiar.
The bronze medal of 2007 edition was the best result of Iran in the competition before this year’s gold.
The 2019 FIVB Volleyball Men's U21 World Championship was held in Riffa, Bahrain from July 18 to 27.
MAH/PR
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