No Nimir, no problem.
The Netherlands proved it can thrive even without its superstar spiker as the youthful Dutch side clawed its way past Romania in straight sets, 25-23, 26-24, 26-24, to move a step closer to the Round of 16 in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Monday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With veteran scorer Nimir Abdel-Aziz still sidelined due to injury, wingers Michiel Ahyi and Tom Koops rose to the occasion once again. They dropped 14 and 13 points, respectively, to steer the World No.18 to its second win in as many outings.
The victory, sealed in one hour and 38 minutes, kept the Netherlands unbeaten in Pool B at 2-0.
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“It’s huge. It’s a great job from the team sticking together,” said the 6-foot-5 Ahyi, who led a string of comeback pushes after the Dutch trailed in every set. “Now we have Poland in two days, but I think the biggest focus is on the game now, so yeah, we’re hyped.”
The Netherlands’ resiliency was on full display. They wiped out a 7-10 hole in the first frame, overturned a 12-16 deficit in the second, and then capitalized on two late Romanian errors to finish the sweep.
Yannick Bak chipped in seven markers while middle blockers Cornelius Luuc van Der Ent and Fabian Blak combined for 10 points.
The Dutch tightened their grip on a Round of 16 slot, barring an unlikely upset by Qatar against World No.1 Poland later in the evening.
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For Romania, it was another bitter defeat. Bela Florian Bartha tallied 14 points while Rares Balean added 12, but the World No.24 faltered once more in crunch time to fall to 0-2. The Romanians, who nearly stole a set from Poland in their opener, now face early elimination unless Qatar pulls off a miracle.
Poland, meanwhile, improved to 1-0 earlier in the day after dispatching Romania in straight sets, 34-32, 25-15, 25-19.
The Netherlands will now brace for a marquee clash against Poland on Wednesday, a duel that could determine Pool B’s top seed and provide a clearer picture of how far this Nimir-less squad can truly go.
