KARACHI: Pakistan on Sunday finished fourth when they went 0-3 down against Japan in the bronze medal encounter of the 3rd Asian Men’s Under-23 Volleyball Championship at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium at Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.
Against the taller Pakistan the Japanese got off to a brilliant start to lift the first set 25-18. However, Murad Khan and Ali Usman Faryad brought Pakistan back on track, utilizing their exceptional spikes and blocks to help them take the lead with a five-point clear at 10-5 in the second set. Still Japan performed superbly both in defense and attack to reduce the margin and win the close set 25-23 for a 2-0 advantage. In the third set Pakistan found Japan a tough nut to crack and surrendered to the irresistible rivals 18-25 to lose the game by a big margin.
After remaining undefeated until the semi-finals, Pakistan had lost to India 3-1 in the pre-final. Pakistan Volleyball Federation’s (PVF) chairman Ch Yaqoob was not happy with his team’s performance in the last two vital games in the 16-team event. “Pakistan beat Chinese Taipei, the eventual champions of this championship, in the preliminaries. That was a big proof that Pakistan can beat any team if they put in their best and fight with spirit,” Yaqoob said.
Meanwhile Chinese Taipei stamped their authority as they romped to a 3-1 win over India in the final to lift gold medal. The set score was 25-21, 25-20, 19-25, 25-23. Chinese Taipei lost only one game in the entire event when they were beaten by Pakistan in the preliminaries. Chinese Taipei took the first two sets 25-21, 25-20 due to solid defence work and Chang Yu-Sheng‘s destructive attacks. However at that stage India showed great resolve and reduced the deficit to 1-2 when they sealed the third set 25-19. The fourth set also turned out to be tight one with either side putting in their level best. Chinese Taipei showed their real guts as they played with great plan to unsettle Indians in the closest fourth set which they won 25-23 to emerge as champions.
