Round of 16 hopes burning

Alas faces Iran in high-stakes tiff

MANILA, Philippines —   In a dramatic turn of events, Alas Pilipinas has catapulted itself from obscurity to the spotlight in the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship.

From their jaw-dropping, historic triumph Tuesday, the Nationals return to play with their hopes of gatecrashing the Round of 16 burning.

The Filipinos will face off against the 15th-ranked Iranians at 5:30 p.m. at the MOA Arena, fueled by their gigantic 29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21 victory over World No. 22 Egyptians – a breakthrough win that has not only silenced critics but also erased the bitter memory of their losing debut against Tunisia.

With both teams now tied with 1-1 records in Pool A, the stakes are high. A win against Iran would set the stage for an even bigger moment – the Philippines’ first-ever qualification to the Round of 16.

Coach Angiolino Frigoni, however, is urging caution, emphasizing the need for stability and consistency from his team.

“We’re the same team that sometimes plays very good, sometimes not very good,” the 71-year-old Italian mentor said. “We have to be stable at this level to compete.”

Alas Pilipinas is again expected to rely on its top guns – Bryan Bagunas, Leo Ordiales, and Marck Espejo – to spearhead the charge.

Bagunas, the team captain, exudes confidence, saying, “I feel this is the best game of our whole lives.”

Everyone is on a high as Alas hopes to accomplish something that had never been done by the country before – make it past the pool play and qualify to the Round of 16.

In yesterday’s matches, Pool G’s Turkey decimated Canada, 25-21, 25-16, 27-25, and Pool E’s Bulgaria smothered Chile, 25-17, 25-12, 25-12, to sweep their respective brackets.

The Turks set up a Round of 16 duel with either the Poles or the Dutch Saturday while the Bulgarians battle one among the Americans, Portuguese or Cubans Monday.

Portugal survived Colombia, 23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-11, to finish with a 2-1 mark in Pool D while Pool B’s Qatar turned back Romania, 20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-22, to claim its first and only win in the meet.