Sofia, Bulgaria, September 22, 2018 – Canada won for the first time in a week beating Iran 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 25-15, 23-25, 15-12) in a Pool G match. John Gordon Perrin scored 28 points for the victory that eliminated both teams from the 2018 FIVB Men’s World Championship.
John Gordon Perrin, player of Canada: “We did very well on spike and we were able to block very good as well. We also played good in defense. I’m just happy that my team was able to play very well after a string of tough matches. We needed to win against USA, in order to have chances of moving forward. For the last match in Sofia I expect to have a very fun atmosphere in the hall. We played here last year in the World league and it was very ecstatic in the arena.”
Stephane Antiga, coach of Canada: “We played a very good game. Iran is a good team but not at the same level, like the USA. I really liked the character and the behavior of our team after the three consecutive losses. We were ambitious again. Unfortunately, we lost our chances to be among the two best second place teams. But we are satisfied with the victory and tomorrow we’ll try to do the same. To play against the host team is something very special. It’s always important for the future confidence to beat the hosts of a major championship in front of thousands of fans.”
Igor Kolakovic, head coach of Iran: “Another difficult five-set game for us. We felt a lot of pressure after the loss yesterday. Most of the boys didn’t sleep even one hour after last night. I know that is not an excuse but that’s why we started with no energy. We were exhausted not only physically but also mentally. In the last set after 10-10 Canadians were just better than us. They played a high quality defense and counterattack. We’re disappointed because of these two defeats in Sofia but this is sport – you need to think for the future.”