Varna, Bulgaria, September 15, 2018 - Iran achieved their third victory and stayed undefeated in Pool D of the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship. The Asians beat Cuba by 3-1 (17-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-19) and secured their place in the second phase of the tournament.
Igor Kolakovic, head coach of Iran: “We were afraid before the game because we knew that Cuba can play on a really high level. They are young and unexperienced, but they are very physically strong and that was their key in the first set I think. Unfortunately we lost it but after that we calmed down, started to play more stably and invest more energy than in the first set. I think we deserved this victory and it was very important because now we have 9 points now and it is the best possible result after the three games played."
Seyed Mousavi, player of Iran: “We are very satisfied whit this 3-1victory over Cuba. It feels great to beat such a well physically prepared and explosive team. When you play against squad like Cuba, you have to be fully concentrated! In the first set we probably were not focused enough and our opponent surprised us with very powerful serve. Then our coach told us that there was no time for distraction and it was time to start playing our game. Fortunately we managed to do it."
Niclas Coffigny, head coach of Cuba: "We missed our chance today. In the first set we proved that we are able to play successfully against such a strong team. As I said Iranian squad is very well prepared and it is not a surprise that they are one of the leaders in our pool. The tournament is not finished yet. It is going to be great to win over Bulgaria tomworrow."
Roamy Alonso, player of Cuba: Today we showed a different face of us. We started powerfully, dominated on the court and we won the first set easily. Unfortunately we could not keep this high level in the following parts. It looked like Iran just “woke up” and found their rhythm of playing right from the start of the second set. They were better than us till the end. We are still motivated and we are looking forward to face Bulgaria tomorrow.