TEHRAN (MNA) – Iran opened the 2017 edition of the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Grand Champions Cup with a 3-2 win over Italian rivals on Tuesday morning in the Japanese city of Nagoya.
 At the end of a breath-taking stunning match, the Persian side managed to thrash Italy 3-2 (25-19, 23-25, 28-26, 29-31 and 15-11).
Igor Kolakovic’s boys gained in the upper hand in the first, third and fifth sets while the European side was the winner only in the second and fourth sets.
The Men’s World Grand Champions Cup features a total of six teams that play in a round-robin tournament from September 12 to 17. Nagoya and Osaka host the seventh edition of the tournament.
Italy won the inaugural edition of the World Grand Champions Cup in 1993 and claimed bronze medals in 2005 and 2013, while Iran seek a medal in their third appearance.
 These two squads met for the second time at the World Grand Champions Cup. In their first encounter, Iran beat Italy in five sets 3-2 (26-24, 16-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-12).