Games on Thursday
(MOA Arena)
10 a.m. – Brazil vs Serbia
1:30 p.m. – Egypt vs Tunisia
5:30 p.m. – Philippines vs Iran
9 p.m. – Czechia vs China
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
10:30 a.m. – Finland vs South Korea
2 p.m. – Belgium vs Algeria
6 p.m. – France vs Argentina
9:30 p.m. – Italy vs Ukraine
IN just one momentous night, the Philippines had gone from the swamp of anonymity to the ocean of hype.
That hype train should go in full throttle as Alas Pilipinas clashes with a fancied Iran on Thursday in the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship before an expected mammoth crowd at the MOA Arena.
The Filipinos will come into their 5:30 p.m. showdown with the Iranians, the World No. 15, riding the crest of their gigantic 29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21 victory over World No. 22 Egyptians on Tuesday at the same Pasay venue.
It was the country’s breakthrough victory in the Worlds that more than buried the bitter memory of their forgettable debut two days before when it succumbed to nerves and fell to the formidable Tunisians, 25-13, 25-17, 25-23.
That result, coupled with Iran’s four-set win over Tunisia that same day, forged a four-way logjam in Pool A with identical 1-1 records.
And now Alas Pilipinas is staring straight at destiny’s eye as it hopes to accomplish something that had never been done by the country before — make it past the pool play and qualify to the Round-of-16.
Of course, the Filipinos would need to beat the fearsome Iranians first.
So that is why Alas Pilipinas coach Angiolino Frigoni is trying to temper expectations.
“We’re the same team that sometimes plays very good, sometimes not very good,” said the 71-year-old Italian mentor.
“We have to be stable at this level to compete,” he added.
Alas will parade its top three weapons that helped seal its place in the sun — Bryan Bagunas, Leo Ordiales and Marck Espejo.
“I feel this is the best game of our whole lives,” said Mr. Bagunas, the Alas captain who has been carrying the fight for the team.
In Wednesday’s results, Pool G’s Turkey decimated Canada, 25-21, 25-16, 27-25, and Pool E’s Bulgaria smothered Chile, 25-17, 25-12, 25-12, to sweep their respective brackets.
The Turks set up a round-of-16 duel with either the Poles or the Dutch on Saturday while the Bulgarians battle one among the Americans, Portuguese or Cubans on Monday.
Portugal survived Colombia, 23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-11, to finish Pool D with a 2-1 mark while Poo B’s Qatar turned back Romania, 20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-22, to claim its first and only win in the meet. — Joey Villar