When Poland plays an important match against Iran, it is usually only the fifth set that determines the winner. The same happened in the quarter-finals of the Nations League in Bologna. Polish national men’s team got revenge for the recent loss in Gdansk.
The Iranian national team has always been an inconvenient rival for Poland. This season it has been rejuvenated and has started to grow in strength after a weaker start in the Nations League. Iran advanced to the final tournament from seventh place, thanks to, among others, defeating the Polish national men’s team in Gdańsk.
In the first set, the Poles had to use all their trump cards – from strong play (aces by Jakub Kochanowski) to cleverness when they hid their hands in the block after strong hits. After all, Poland won the set.
The second set, however, started with the precise play of the Iranians. Poland played calmly and, in the beginning, were leading, but later on, the Iranians were better. Despite many mistakes, Iran was able to defeat Poland and draw 1:1.
The Poles played well. The Iranians took risks and, despite many errors, they had results mainly thanks to their play. In the third set, they first made up a three-point loss and then came out on top. Poland finally found a ‘recipe’ for their opponents, who eventually lost.
But it turned out that the Iranians were hard to break, and when they scored a few points at the beginning of the fourth set, they got so worked up that they dominated decisively. They did lead until the very end and drew 2:2.
The Poles show all their assets in such crucial moments. An excellent change was given by Karol Butryn, who stepped in to play and prevented the opponents from bringing out an effective action. The white-and-red advanced to the semi-finals, where they will play against the United States on Saturday.
Poland – Iran 3:2 (25:21, 24:26, 25:18, 16:25, 15:7)