Argentina inched closer to securing a spot in the Round of 16 of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship after battling past South Korea in four sets, 25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18, in Pool C action at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday.
The World No.9 Argentines faced a scare in an error-laden contest, most notably in the second set when Pablo Kukartsev’s hit into the antenna handed Korea their first set win of the tournament.
However, Argentina quickly regained control, leaning on ferocious attacks and punishing serves to assert its dominance.
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Boisterous aces, including a pair in a critical fourth-set stretch, helped Argentina build a 16-12 cushion, allowing them to close out the match. Agustin Loser capped the victory with a thunderous final hit, sealing the four-set triumph.
Koukartsev led Argentina with 21 points, while Heo Subong tallied 17 for Korea, which remains in search of its first win in the preliminaries.
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“I think Korea played really good defense. They put a lot of pressure on us in the first two sets. We made some mistakes in the beginning, but we pushed forward and got the result. There are no easy matches in this tournament, so this is normal,” said Argentina captain Luciano Palonsky.
Argentina now turns its focus to a showdown with two-time Olympic champion France in its final Pool C match on Thursday, September 18, also at the Big Dome.
South Korea, meanwhile, will attempt to notch its first victory against Finland earlier in the day.
