Iran cruised to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-16) victory against Germany, with Meisam Ali Pour leading the charge, scoring 13 points through a well-rounded performance comprising five attacks, four blocks and four aces in the men’s sitting volleyball tournament at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games at North Paris Arena on Tuesday,
Iran’s attack was bolstered by the efforts of Sadegh Bigdeli and Hossein Golestani, who each contributed 10 points, primarily focusing on offence. On the German side, Dominik Albrecht and Francis Tonleu were the top scorers with six and five points respectively. However, Germany struggled to keep pace, particularly in attacks where they trailed 40-17.
Iran established an early lead through consistent serves and sharp attacks in the opening set. Germany initially kept the score close, with Tonleu and Albrecht trying to mount a challenge. However, Iran gradually pulled away, with Ali Pour’s powerful serves and Bigdeli’s timely blocks proving too much for the Germans. Iran widened their lead to 21-15 before Bigdeli’s decisive attack, and a block error from Schiewe sealed the set for Iran 25-16.
In the second set, Iran’s dominance became more apparent as they capitalised on Germany’s errors. Ali Pour’s aggressive serving continued to disrupt Germany’s reception, while Bigdeli and Golestani punctuated the set with powerful spikes. Despite a brief resistance from Germany, who managed to reach double digits, Iran maintained control, ultimately closing the set at 25-13 following an attack error by Tonleu.
The third set mirrored the earlier ones, with Iran maintaining their momentum. Germany showed glimpses of resilience, bringing the score to 11-9 at one point, but Ali Pour and his teammates quickly reasserted their dominance. The set ended with a strong attack from Isa Zirahi, finalising Iran’s victory at 25-16.
Photo: WPV/Sinisa Kanizaj.
