WARSAW -- Iran defeated powerhouse Poland 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-27, 15-7) in Week 3 of the 2022 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Tuesday night.
Poland suffered their second defeat in the men’s Volleyball Nations League in Gdansk, Poland, on Tuesday.
Poland wanted to extend its winning streak to seven games, but the visitors, who performed in Gdansk without a few crucial players such as Saeid Marouf, produced a huge surprise.
World champions Poland couldn’t find a way to stop Milad Ebadipour but managed to take the lead 10-6 and then kept the advantage to win 25-21 in the first set.
Iran responded in the best possible way to usurp the lead 2-1 before Poland forced out a tie-breaker. In the crucial final set, Iran crushed helpless Poland by a solid defense to score 10 consecutive points for a 15-7 win.
Amirhussein Esfandiar turned out to be the winners’ hero with 21 points, while Bartosz Kurek was Poland’s most prolific player with 23.
Earlier on the day, Italy beat Bulgaria in three straight sets. Yuri Romano gave his team 13 points, while Alessandro Michieletto poured in one point less.
China, with two victories and six points, will face the Netherlands in Gdansk on Wednesday, while Serbia takes on Slovenia.
Iran is currently in seventh place on 5-4 and 14 points.
The top eight teams will play in final round in Italy from July 20 to 24.