Alas Pilipinas’ magical run in its first-ever FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship came to a gut-wrenching end on Thursday night, as World No. 16 Iran survived a raucous SM Mall of Asia Arena and a relentless Philippine squad in a five-set thriller that hinged on the slimmest of margins.
Iran pulled off the escape, 21-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 22-20, securing a place in the Round of 16 and standing tall as the last Asian nation left in the 2025 edition of the tournament. The West Asians needed a dramatic late challenge reversal and ice-cold finishing blows to douse the fiery hopes of the Filipinos, who were just one point away from victory in the deciding set.
“I am very proud. I am very proud because we improved a lot. We showed that we can play good volleyball. Thank you for all the fans that came here because they support us very much. I am pity in a way that we lost because we were in a dream. And they woke up just one point before the dream was finished,” said Philippines head coach Angiolino Frigoni, reflecting on the near-upset.
“But I think that we play with skills, with power, with heart, with mind. I am happy for it. Just how they finish. I should prefer to finish this match losing a match 15-10 or 15-8 or 15-7. This way is very, very painful. By the way, I am very proud of them. Very proud of them.”
Alas Pilipinas fought back from a 6-10 deficit in the fifth frame, even snatching six match points—most dramatically at 19-18, when Kim Malabunga seemingly sealed the win with a block on Ali Haghparast. The arena erupted, the players celebrated, and the Iranians slumped to the floor in despair.
But Iran head coach Roberto Piazza challenged the point for a net fault. On review, Malabunga’s right hand was shown brushing the net as he landed, nullifying the block and tying the score at 19-all.
The sequence swung the momentum.
Yousef Kazemi blocked Malabunga to give Iran its first match point, only for Bryan Bagunas to answer with a backrow bomb to level things at 20.
But Haghparast’s off-the-block hit and another Kazemi rejection—this time against Marck Espejo—delivered the final blows in Iran’s come-from-behind triumph after two hours and 27 minutes of gripping volleyball.
For the Philippines, the heartbreak didn’t diminish the significance of the journey.
Just two days earlier, the Southeast Asian squad stunned reigning African champions Egypt for its first-ever World Championship win.
And against the continent’s top-ranked team, they pushed until the very end, proving they belonged on the global stage despite only qualifying as hosts.
Bagunas, after a slow start, roared back to finish with 22 points on 18 kills, three blocks, and an ace.
Young gun Leo Ordiales backed him up with 21, while Espejo chipped in 15 points.
Malabunga had 10 markers, and setter Owa Retamar not only tallied a 48.28 percent setting efficiency but also scored five points, including a gutsy 1-2 attack that gave Alas their first match point at 14-13.
For Iran, Poriya Hossein Khanzadeh and Ali Hajipour carried the scoring load with 22 points apiece, as they advanced with a 2-1 record in Pool A, edging Tunisia on tiebreak despite identical win-loss cards.
Iran will now await the Pool H top-seed, either Serbia or Czechia, in the knockout rounds.
