Kazan, Russia, 14 June, 2015 – Iran beat Russia in a second successive FIVB World League match, taking the tie in straight sets (25-20, 25-18, 25-21) to leave the Olympic champions’ campaign looking in a poor state.
Mojtaba Mirzajanpour was hugely dominant in the first set, serving superbly as the Iranians blocked and defended excellently as a unit. They won set one 25-20. Russia’s best player of recent matches, Maxim Mikhaylov, was again on form, but in the second set the Iranian block worked as one, and Mirzajanpour, aided by Mahmoudi, scored heavily. The visitors took the set 25-18.
And despite Mikhaylov and Andrey Ashchev’s best efforts, Iran outmuscled them both in defence and attack to take the final set 25-21 and secure their seventh World League point. Russia, who face Poland next, have just a single point.
Mojtaba Mirzajanpour and Shahram Mahmoudi got 17 points each for Iran. Maxim Mikhaylov was the top scorer for the Russia with 16 points. Read the match text commentary
here.