Russia mark international return with a victory over Iran

If you wish to publish an Italian translation of this article, any of our other articles, or any part of them, please cite the original source. PLAGIARISM IS ILLEGAL!

Russia have officially returned to the international volleyball stage.
In their first international appearance since the FIVB announced the reinstatement of Russian national teams into its competitions, Konstantin Bryansky’s side defeated Iran 3–1 (25:16, 23:25, 25:20, 25:22) in Ufa.

The match was the first of a series of international friendlies being played in the Russian city, marking a symbolic new chapter for a national team that had been excluded from FIVB competitions since 2022.
On July 8, the FIVB officially announced that Russian players, coaches and technical staff would once again be eligible to participate in international competitions under the world governing body. Russia’s national teams were also reinstated in the FIVB World Rankings, with the points they had accumulated before their exclusion in 2022 restored.

There was, however, an interesting detail surrounding the matches in Ufa. The event has not officially been presented as a tournament, but rather as a “series of matches”, explaining the absence of a traditional final standings table, medals or a trophy.
Moreover, the FIVB authorised television coverage only for Russia’s matches, meaning that the meeting between Belarus and Cuba was not broadcast.
Despite the unusual format, the atmosphere inside Ufa’s Palace of Wrestling was anything but ordinary. Around 2,500 spectators attended Russia’s first match following the FIVB decision, with local reports describing the attendance as a record for the relatively new venue.

Russia made an emphatic start.
The hosts dominated the opening set, winning 25–16 after converting 68 percent of their attacks. Bryansky also used the match as an opportunity to experiment, rotating his players and testing different combinations after the national team had had almost no preparation time together.
That lack of preparation became more apparent in the second set, when Iran responded strongly and levelled the match at 1–1 with a 25–23 win.
Russia regained control in the third set, taking it 25–20, before the fourth produced the most dramatic sequence of the night. L
Iran appeared to be heading towards a deciding set after building a 19–15 lead, but the hosts produced a decisive comeback. A strong serving run, improved work at the net and several successful counter-attacks allowed Russia to turn the score around and move ahead 22–20 before closing out the match 25–22.

Anton Semyshev led Russia’s scoring with 14 points, while Dmitry Lyzik of Lokomotiv Novosibirsk also contributed with 12.
Maxim Sapozhkov added 11.
For Iran, Ali Hajipour finished with 15 points, Puria Khan Zadeh scored 14 and Hagparast added 10.

The performance was particularly notable given how little time Bryansky’s squad had spent together. The Russian coach revealed that the players had only completed a two-day training camp before the matches in Ufa. A longer national-team camp had not originally been planned for the summer, and even after the FIVB decision, Russia chose not to significantly alter its schedule in order to avoid interfering with the clubs’ pre-season preparations.

“Before Ufa, we had a two-day training camp. Considering that, we played quite decent volleyball. I would say we showed around 60 percent of our maximum,” Bryansky said after the victory.

The Ufa match was not, strictly speaking, Russia’s first meeting with a foreign national team since its exclusion from international competitions in 2022. The Russians had continued to arrange friendly matches during their period of isolation, including a visit to Serbia last year, when they defeated the Serbian national team 3–1 in Belgrade.
That match, however, took place before the FIVB officially cleared the way for Russia’s return. This is what makes the current series in Ufa particularly significant: these are the first international appearances of the Russian men’s national team since the governing body’s July 8 decision opened the door to its return to official international volleyball.
And the next major step has already been confirmed. Russia are set to return to the FIVB Volleyball Nations League in 2027, with both the men’s and women’s competitions expanding from 18 to 19 teams to accommodate their return.
For now, Bryansky’s team will remain in Ufa, continuing its series of international friendlies. Russia will face Belarus today, August 22, before meeting Cuba on August 23.

The result against Iran may have come in a friendly setting, but for Russian volleyball, its significance goes far beyond the scoreboard.
After more than four years away from the FIVB international circuit, the European powerhouse is back on the international court.

__________________

👀|QUICK LINKS
• All International news 🗞️
• Multimedia
• Facebook
• Instagram

__________________