Iran beat Korea 3-2 (22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 22-25, 15-13) in the semifinal of the AVC Men's Tokyo Volleyball Qualification on Saturday.
Ali Shafiei tallied 17 points including 11 blocks and three aces. Park Jeongah scored the match-high 25 points for Korea.
“It was a very special game for us as team Korea put us under pressure from the beginning of game. They had good serves and position in defense. We didn’t find a way to make some good serves. But after the first set, we started to play much better, fighting for each point until the end,” Iran coach Igor Kolakovic said in the post-match news conference.
“And I am very happy to qualify for the final. I don’t care about who our opponents will be, tomorrow there will be new opportunities for us to win an important game,” he added.