MANAMA: Pakistan stormed into the final of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Nations Cup after a commanding straight-sets victory over Qatar in the semi-final held in Bahrain on Monday.
Pakistan had outclassed Indonesia in the quarter-final by 3-1 to advance to the semi-finals.
Before that, they beat Philippines 3-1 to reach quarter-final.
In the semi-final against Qatar, the Pakistani team dominated from the outset, winning the first set 25-22. Maintaining momentum, they took the second set by the same margin, 25-22, to establish a strong 2-0 lead.
In the third and final set of the best-of-five contest, Pakistan gave no room for a Qatari comeback, sealing the set 25-21 and booking a place in the tournament’s final with a 3-0 win.
Usman Faryad Ali and Murad Jehan stood out with stellar performances, helping Pakistan secure a spot in the title clash.
Usman bagged 18 points for Pakistan with 17 attacks, and one block.
According to the teams’ statistics, Pakistan got 75 points while Qatar could secured 65 only.
Similarly, Pakistan made 17 errors during the match, while their opponent committed 20 errors.
Pakistan will now aim to clinch their maiden AVC Nations Cup title in tomorrow’s final.
This would be the second major sports event for Pakistani sports enthusiasts, who have now pinned their hopes on the national volleyball team after Pakistan suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the final of the FIH Hockey Nations Cup.
New Zealand beat Pakistan 6-2 to lift the Nations Cup trophy.