#RoadToTokyo: Iran destroys Korea’s long-awaited Olympic dream, and will face China for Olympic ticket!

Iran won a 5-set battle over South Korea in the semifinals of the 2020 Asian Volleyball Olympic Qualifier in Jiangmen (China) to come to a step closer to securing the Tokyo ticket.
They smashed Korea’s long-awaited Olympic dream, didn’t feature since the 2000 Sydney Games, with a dramatic 3-2 (22:25, 25:21, 25:18, 22:25, 15:13). Ali Shafiei scored 17 points, including 6 winning blocks, for Iran, while Jeon Kwang-In from Korea was the top scorer of the match with 25 points.

In the second semifinal, China remained in contention for the Olympic tickey with a 4-set victory over Qatar. Jiang Chuan was the top scorer of the match for the hosts, scorying 23 points, while Brazilian-born Renan Ribeiro scored 13 on the other side.

2020 Asian Volleyball Olympic Qualifier – semifinals

January 11:
Iran – South Korea 3-2 (22:25, 25:21, 25:18, 22:25, 15:13)
Qatar – China 1-3 (22:25, 18:25, 25:23, 20:25)

Final – January 12:
Iran – China, 13:00 CET

Photo: volleyball.coqt.2020.fivb.com