VNL 2023 kicks off in Nagoya! Victory for China against Bulgaria and hosts Japan who destroy Iran

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The men’s Volleyball Nations League 2023 officially started today in Nagoya, with the Pool 2 matches featuring Bulgaria, China, hosts Japan and Iran.

China managed to win the game against Bulgaria claiming a five-set victory in the first match of the day, 2-3 (20:25, 25:21, 21:25, 25:20, 9:15). The winners showed an exceptional endurance, outscoring Bulgaria on all fronts. Outside Zhang Jingyin was the absolute man of the match, scoring an impressive amount of 29 points including six kill blocks and two aces, but he was well-supported by Yu Yuantai who
also contributed with 15 points and captain Jiang Chuan with 10.
Bulgaria’s rising star Aleksandar Nikolov scored 22 points for Bulgaria, following by Dimitar Dimitrov and Martin Atanasov, with 15 and 13 points respectively.

The second match of the day saw the hosts Japan achieving a clear 3-0 (25:16, 25:22, 25:19) win over Iran in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. Japan’s captain Yuki Ishikawa demonstrated his leadership on court ending the match as top scorer with 20 points (1 ace, 1 winning block and 60% in attack) while Ran Takahashi also contributed with 10 points including the one that closed the match.
For Iran, opposite Amin Esmaeilnezhad scored 11 points also including an ace and a block. Experienced Iranian middle blocker and captain Seyed Mousavi scored four winning blocks.

“From the beginning we played very well as a team, well supported by our fans. Defence is one of our weapons and we could show it to the fans tonight. I am just happy we can perform in front of such a crowd,” said superstar Yuki Ishikawa at the end of the game.

This evening (at least, with European time!) Italy will face Argentina in the opener of Pool 1 in Ottawa, Canada.

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🏐| 2023 VOLLEYBALL NATIONS LEAGUE

— June 06, 2023 —

| Pool 1 – Week 1 – Ottawa 🇨🇦
• 16:30 (Local Time) | Italy – Argentina 0-3 (22:25, 23:25, 18:25)

👉🏼 Pool 2 – Week 1 – Nagoya 🇯🇵

• 16:10 (Local Time) | Bulgaria – China 2-3 (20:25, 25:21, 21:25, 25:20, 9:15)