The final of the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship, currently underway in Manama, Bahrain, will see Italy and Iran vie for the coveted title.
The first semi-final witnessed a riveting performance from the Italian U21 team, led by the rising volleyball talent Alessandro Bovolenta, who scored an impressive 28 points. His strong duel with Bulgarian prospect Aleksandar Nikolov, who scored 23 points, resulted in an Italian victory of 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-18). Despite losing the first set, the Italian squad displayed their strengths and determination with commendable courage and an unwavering will to win. Alongside Bovolenta, Mattia Orioli played a crucial role in securing Italy’s victory. For Bulgaria, Venislav Antonov made a substantial contribution with 16 points.
In the second semi-final, Iran managed to surpass Argentina, marking their spot in the grand final. Similar to the Italian squad, the promising Iranian young generation showed great strength and dedication after losing the first set. They bounced back with a superior play, winning three consecutive sets to conclude the match with a 3-1 victory (23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-20). Hossein Khanzadeh led the Iranian side with 25 points, emerging as the top scorer of the match. Nasri Mastanabad and Amir Mohammad also made significant contributions, scoring 15 and 13 points respectively, to solidify Iran’s claim to the grand finals. For Argentina, Lucas Conde was the most effective player with 16 points, closely followed by Naguel Garcia with 12.
