Alas Pilipinas loses heartbreaker to Iran, bows out of FIVB Worlds
Alas Pilipinas after losing to Iran in the FIVB Men’s World Championship pool phase. The Filipinos bow out of the tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Alas Pilipinas’ once-in-a-lifetime stint in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship ended in heartbreak.
Iran capitalized down the stretch, completing a comeback to stun Alas Pilipinas and its home crowd, 21-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 22-20, in front of the tournament’s biggest attendance at Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday.
LIVE: Alas Pilipinas vs Iran – FIVB Men’s World Championship 2025
The Filipino Spikers thought they had clinched the victory and even celebrated what looked like Kim Malabunga’s match-winning block on Ali Haghparast. But Iran challenged the play, and the review showed Malabunga had made contact with the net.
Hagphparast and Yousef Poshtpari put on the finishing touches for Iran as the Philippines narrowly fell short of making it to the round of 16 in its World Championship debut.
Alas coach Angiolino Frigoni: It was painful but I’m very proud of them. #MWCH2025 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ
• Follow our recap of the game here: https://t.co/l5fJ8nNQ1L pic.twitter.com/MaqKEhC0Gz
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) September 18, 2025
Iran finished group play with a 2-1 card to advance as the lone Asian squad left in the tournament. Philippines bowed out, while fan favorite Japan failed to qualify after winning just once in Pool G. South Korea, Qatar, and China also missed the cut.
READ: Alas Pilipinas proves world-worthy with upset of African champs
Despite the painful setback, Alas Pilipinas coach Frigoni was all praises for his players, who exceeded expectations and pushed higher-ranked teams to their limit in the tournament.
Alas Pilipinas after losing to Iran in the FIVB Men’s World Championship pool phase. The Filipinos bow out of the tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
“I am very proud because we improved a lot. We showed that we can play good volleyball. Thank you for all the fans that came here because they support us very much. I am pity 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’s the life of the sport,” he said.
“But I think that we play with skills, with power, with heart, with mind. I am happy for it. Just how they finish. I should prefer to finish this match losing a match 15-10 or 15-8 or 15-7. This way is very, very painful. But I am very proud of them.”
READ: Alas Pilipinas’ historic win ‘start of something big,’ says Bagunas
Bryan Bagunas ended the tournament just like he started, leading Alas Pilipinas in offense with 22. Leo Ordiales added 21, while Marck Espejo added 15.
Malabunga added 10 points and delivered in the clutch in every set before the net fault call that turned what would’ve been a historic moment into one of the biggest what-ifs in Philippine sports.
But Alas Pilipinas didn’t exit the tournament empty-handed after turning heads and pulling off a historic four-set win over Egypt two days ago.
The Filipinos also showed heart like no other against Iran, matching the world No. 15 nearly point by point in the deciding fifth set.
“You see them. Everybody saw them. How they fight. For that I am proud. Because we never, never give up. Never. Even in the tiebreak when we won back three points and we continue to play. We won, but the referee said that we didn’t,” he said.
Poriya Hossein Khanzadeh and Ali Hajipour powered the Iranians with 22 points each, facing the top seed of Pool H, which will be disputed by Serbia, Czechia, and Brazil. Haghparast added nine.
