Asian Games: Iran thump Pakistan in men's volleyball semi-final

OKAZAKI CITY: Defending champions Islamic Republic of Iran thrashed Pakistan 3-0 in the semi-final of the Asian Games 2026 men's volleyball competition here at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium on Friday.

The Green Shirts, who entered the high-stakes fixture on the back of a 3-0 victory over arch-rivals India in the quarter-final, were blown away by the holders in the opening set of the summit clash, which saw Iran prevail by 25-13 in just 19 minutes.

Pakistan offered notable resistance in the subsequent set, which spanned 20 minutes before Iran ultimately prevailed by 25-15 to move just one away from qualifying for the final.

In the third and deciding set, which ran the longest, 21 minutes, Iran comfortably prevailed 25-11 to round up a comprehensive victory, which drew curtains on Pakistan's hopes of clinching the gold medal.

The defending champions, who have won the previous three editions of the Asian Games men's volleyball competition, will now face host nation Japan in the gold-medal match at the same venue on Saturday.

Earlier that day, Pakistan will lock horns with the People's Republic of China in the third-place playoff for the bronze medal at the same venue.

For the unversed, Pakistan made a dominant start to the Asian Games 2026 men's volleyball competition as they inflicted a 3-1 defeat on Kazakhstan in their campaign opener.

The Green Shirts followed it up with yet another resounding victory, a 3-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan, to seal their place in the knockout stage with a match to spare.

In their final pool match, however, the national team suffered a gruelling 3-0 defeat at the hands of host nation Japan, but got back to winning ways in their blockbuster quarter-final against traditional rivals India.