Piazza: 'Today was an encouraging match' as Iran tops group with perfect record

Tehran - BORNA - Roberto Piazza spoke to reporters after his side's win over China in their final Group Stage match at the 2026 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship, reflecting on the team's performance.

"Today was an encouraging match for me," Piazza said. "We had played two matches before this, but those teams were not at the level of VNL teams. Today we played against China, and it was a more serious test for Iran."

Praising China's performance, he added: "China played well, as they always do. When they played in the Volleyball Nations League, they only had one win, but they always fielded their full roster because they wanted to improve. When you play against strong teams, you might not get ranking points, but you realize that the team is getting better day by day."

"China did an excellent job," the Iranian coach continued. "I think this shows that teams competing at a higher level can improve."

Piazza also spoke about the importance of facing strong opponents: "If you want to beat China, you have to play better than them. Today we proved that more than anything, we need all the players on the bench, because we can use them."

On his team's performance during the match, he said: "We played the game the way we should have. We made a few mistakes at the end of the second set and in the middle of the third set, but after that we were able to score in the crucial moments. This is very important to me, because it shows that the Iranian team is improving day by day."

Piazza also touched on China's participation in the VNL Finals over the past two years, adding: "I do not agree with selling the hosting rights for the finals, because teams secure their place in the finals by buying the rights."

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