Finland inched closer to a spot in the Round of 16 after fending off a determined Korea side in four sets, 25-18, 25-23, 17-25, 25-21, Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum during the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.
Fresh off a stunning five-set upset over reigning Olympic champion France, World No. 18 Finland showed poise under pressure. The team quickly rebounded from a third-set stumble to secure a hard-fought victory and improve to a 2-1 record with six points in Pool C.
The Finnish squad looked poised to lock in the first Round of 16 ticket in the group after building a commanding 2-0 lead. However, Korea rallied to claim the third set, keeping their hopes alive and briefly delaying Finland’s qualification.
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Finland then regrouped in the fourth, with Joonas Jokela and Petteri Tyynismaa leading a 4-0 run that broke a 21-all deadlock. With that, they avoided a fifth-set decider that could have jeopardized their bid to advance.
“I think today we will just focus on recovering and see if we advance. Of course, we’re going to watch the other games and see what happens. For now, we did our job in the pool phase and hopefully our games continue,” Finland head coach Olli Kunnari said after the win.
Finland’s fate in the group still depends on other results. They will advance if Argentina wins in any scoreline, or if France secures a victory in three or four sets. A five-set French win would create a three-way 2-1 tie, with France advancing on superior set ratio and Finland’s Round of 16 hopes then resting on point ratio against Argentina.
“We had a big chance to clinch the Round of 16 immediately, but after we switched sides, Korea played really well and we struggled with our serves. Still, I’m happy we got the win today,” said Finnish outside hitter Luka Marttila, who led Finland with 25 points on 22 attacks and three blocks, along with 11 excellent receptions.
Jokela added 21 points on 17 attacks, two blocks, and two aces, while Antti Ronkainen contributed 10 points from attacks alone. Tyynismaa and Severi Savonsalmi chipped in seven and six points, respectively.
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Korea, making its first World Championship appearance since 2014, finished winless in three matches but fought valiantly.
Shin Hojin paced the offense with 24 points, including 22 attacks, an ace, and a block, complemented by seven excellent digs.
Jeong Hanyong added 16 points on 13 attacks with two blocks and one ace, while Lim Sungjin scored 13 points in a losing effort.
