Bahrain stun Australia, through to final four

TDT | Manama               

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s senior men’s national volleyball team continued their impressive run in the fourth AVC Men Challenger in Chinese Taipei yesterday, stunning world number 37 Australia to storm into the semi-finals.

The Bahrainis put on a spirited performance, outclassing their highly touted rivals—who competed in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League three times in 2018, 2019 and 2021—with a 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 18-25, 25-18) score line.

The Bahrainis were led in the match by stars Naser Anan, Mohammed Yaqoob and Ali Ebrahim, to name a few of their top performers. They now move on to the final four where they will face South Korea.

That game is scheduled for today starting at 10am, Bahrain time. The other semi-final will be between Vietnam and Thailand. The Vietnamese booked their spot with a 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25- 19, 25-15) win over hosts Chinese Taipei, while the Thais battled back from a set down to overcome Indonesia 3-2 (25-20, 25- 27, 20-25, 25-16, 15-12).

The winners of today’s semi-finals will lock horns to contest for the gold medal tomorrow at 12.30pm, Bahrain time. The losers will play in the bronze medal game at 10am. Aside from Anan, Yaqoob and Ebrahim, the Bahrain team in the tournament also includes Mahmood Al Afia, Ali Habib, Mahmood Abdulhussain, Mahmoud Abdulwahed, Ebrahim Mohammed, Abbas Al Khabbaz, Mohammed Jassim, Mohammed Omar, Hani Ali, Ayman Haroona and Abbas Sultan. They are being guided by head coach Ruben Adrian Wolochin from Argentina.