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BETIM, Brazil, October 27, 2015 - Fulfilling their role of pool
favourites, hosts Sada Cruzeiro from Brazil and Iran’s Paykan
Tehran emerged as winners at FIVB Men’s Club World Championship
Day 1, placing themselves closer to the semifinals scheduled for
Friday.
The local side blasted past Capitanes de Arecibo from Puerto
Rico, preceded by Paykan’s victory over the Egyptian team of
Ahly Sporting Club.
Second Tuesday game was highlighted by a superb display of Sada
Cruzeiro, looking forward to recover the world crown they held
on 2013. The home team wiped off Capitanes de Arecibo 3-0
(25-13, 25-18, 25-20) and star-player Yoandy Leal from Cuba
stole the show with 10 points, the same by teammates Isac Santos
and Filipe Ferraz, as well as Puerto Rican Héctor Soto.
William Arjona, Sada Cruzeiro captain, praised the good service
from his team: “We could control the situations developed during
the match, forcing with our serve and never letting them play
comfortably on reception. That was our plan. We failed a lot,
but it was a risk we had to take. Every match won is a mission
accomplished.”
It was the duel between Asia and Africa the one that opened the
day at Ginásio Divino Braga in Betim. Recovering from two slow
starts, Paykan Tehran improved towards a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20,
25-15) with Farhad Ghaemi as their main player. Iranian wing-spiker
was leveled with Ahly’s Ahmed El Kotb with 14 points each, but
only Ghaemi finished the game with a smile.
“I want to congratulate Ahly for the way they played”, stressed
Paykan’s coach Peyman Akbari. “I think they had some previous
information on our team and we didn’t know much about them. When
we got the hang of them we could improve,” he added after the
match.
On Wednesday, South American champions UPCN San Juan from
Argentina are set to join the tournament for the third time in
their history, against Ahly Sporting Club at 5:10 PM (local).
Afterwards, a mouth-watering clash between Sada Cruzeiro and
Russia’s Zenit Kazan will be the treat for the fans at 8:10 PM
(local), as the European champions will play their first game
after resting on Day 1. |
