Alas Pilipinas comes up short in a thrilling five-setter against perennial Asian powerhouse Iran.
The dream run may be over, but Alas Pilipinas certainly proved that Philippine volleyball is world-class in the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championships.
Two days after their historic first win over Egypt, Alas Men came close to mounting another massive upset in a 25-21, 21-25, 25-17, 22-25, 20-22 decision against perennial Asian powerhouse Iran on Thursday, September 18, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
After looking dead in the water in the deciding Set 5, the Nationals came alive to equalize the frame at 11-all. From here, it was a dogfight until the end, with both sides nailing down crucial points come crunch time.
Perhaps the most painful moment of the match was the clutch rejection by Kim Malabunga, which was ruled a net touch upon a crucial challenge by the Iranians. After one more equalizer by Bryan Bagunas, it was a kill by Ali Haghparast and a rejection by Yousef Kazemi Poshtpari that ultimately denied the Nationals a Round of 16 appearance.
Still, it was nothing short of an epic outing for Alas Men, who had their chances of closing out Iran, especially after a dominant Set 3 that saw them blank the opposition en route to taking a 2-1 set lead. Ultimately, breaks of the game favored the Princes, who are now set to face either Serbia or Czechia from Pool H.
“I am very proud…I am very proud of us showing that we can play good volleyball. Thank you for all the fans that came here to support us very much,” head coach Angiolino Frigoni said. “I pity them in a way that we lost, because we were in a dream. And they woke up just one point before the dream was finished.”
“But that is life in sports. But I think that we played with skills, power, heart, and the mind…I am happy for them, and it’s just really with how [the game finished]. I still prefer to finish this match losing 15-10 or 15-8, or 15-7 because this result is very, very painful. Either way, I am very proud of them.”
If there was anything that we have learned from Alas’ short, but sweet FIVB Men’s Worlds Championship run, it is that Philippine volleyball has the potential to be world-class. After all, even if they entered by virtue of being hosts, it didn’t take long for Alas Men to bare their fangs on the world stage.
Once they were able to familiarize themselves against much-taller opponents, and even the atmosphere of the World Championships, it became clear that Alas were a forced to be reckoned with — from Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo’s gulang style of play, to a rising star in Leo Ordiales who proved to be a capable third option.
After a promising Set 3 against Tunisia, Alas Men went on to assert their might against the Pharaohs of Egypt, which resulted in their first-ever set win at the World Championship, and eventually, their first-ever won game at the global showpiece.
Then against Iran, the Nationals came out with the same swagger that propelled them to historic heights over Egypt. Even if the Princes were the second-best Asian team in the World Championships, that didn’t faze the Philippines’ aces one bit. They knew that they belonged on the world stage, and it showed in their epic duel before nearly 14,000 passionate fans at the MOA Arena.
Bryan Bagunas continued to show what Alas Men have been missing. Marck Espejo was a two-way sparkplug. Leo Ordiales was now fullly accustomed to the world stage. Josh Ybañez continued to thrive as a libero, while middle blockers Peng Taguibolos and Kim Malabunga provided a mix of youthful energy and veteran poise. How could we forget about Owa Retamar, who was able to set up the plays that allowed the Nationals to put up a fight internationally.
“You saw their heart, and how they fight. And for that I am very proud because we never, never give up. Never. Even in the tiebreak, when we were down by like three points and we continued to play…we [could have won,” Frigoni said.
In a different time, we could have seen the Nationals book an appearance to the Round of 16. Again, it was clear that they had their chances to win against the Pharaohs. But while that didn’t come into fruition just yet, one thing has been made clear in this epic FIVB Men’s World Championship run: Philippine volleyball has proven itself to be world-class after all.
Banner images courtesy of Volleyball World.