In Day 5 of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Men at Isa Town Sport City Hall, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Korea, and Pakistan secured their spots in the semifinals.
Qatar dominated China with a decisive 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-19, 25-19), showcasing their prowess. Led by Ibrahim Ibrahim Mohamed and Youssef Oughlaf, Qatar’s offensive strategies were unmatched. China struggled without their captain Jiang Chuan and could not recover from the relentless Qatari attacks.
Kazakhstan staged a remarkable comeback against Australia, winning 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-21). Vitaliy Vorivodin and Petr Churzin were instrumental in Kazakhstan’s success, each contributing 12 points. Despite a strong start, Australia couldn’t maintain their momentum against the resilient Kazakh team.
Pakistan triumphed over Vietnam in a nail-biting five-set match (19-25, 27-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-12). Ali Usman Faryad led Pakistan with 20 points, supported by Aimal Khan and Afaq Khan. Vietnam, despite their strong performance, fell short in the final set, with Nguyen Ngoc Thuan scoring a team-high 19 points.
Korea overcame host Bahrain in another thrilling five-setter (26-24, 32-30, 22-25, 22-25, 15-12). Kim Jihan’s impressive 28 points and Shin Hojin’s 22 points were pivotal in Korea’s victory. Bahrain’s strong defense and efforts by Khamis Ali and Abdulla Mohamed were not enough to clinch the match.
With these victories, the semifinal matchups on Saturday will see Qatar face Kazakhstan, and Pakistan take on Korea. These teams are vying for a spot in the 2024 FIVB Men’s Challenger Cup in Linyi, China, which serves as a qualifier for the 2025 Volleyball Nations League.
