History Halted With A Golden Match

Mark Demayo

 History halted: Iran eliminates valiant Alas Pilipinas in 5-set heartbreaker

Iran snatches the win away from the Philippines after five sets to advance to the Round of 16! Alas Pilipinas face their biggest test yet as they battle world no. 16 Iran with a historic FIVB World Championship Round of 16 berth on the line at the Mall of Asia Arena. Midnight struck on the proverbial clock for team Alas Pilipinas as Iran edged its way to the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship knockout phase off a five-set thriller, 21-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 22-20, at a silenced Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, September 18. A heartbreaking net fault call on the Philippines overturned the match, as the Iranians eventually went away with the triumph and the Round of 16 spot. The Alas men ended their historic FIVB campaign with a 1-2 win-loss record in the preliminary rounds. Recovering from an error-prone opening frame and a third-set blowout loss, world No. 16 Iran earned its way back to even off a 25-23 squeaker in the fourth to eventually prevail in the do-or-die fifth set off a heart-stopping exchange of extended match point saves and challenges. “I am very proud because we improved a lot. We showed that we can play good volleyball. Thank you for all the fans that came here because they support us very much. I am pity in a way that we lost because we were in a dream. And they woke up just one point before the dream was finished. But that’s the life of the sport.” said national coach Angiolino Frigoni. Despite the exit, the Philippines made history with a win over Egypt, the first-ever victory of the country in the tournaments. While the dream run ends here, this campaign is still something to be proud of, it showed the world how much Philippine men’s volleyball has improved and how bright the future is for our team.