Saint Petersburg, Russia, August 9, 2019 – Iran started their campaign in the Tokyo Volleyball Qualification Pool E tournament with a win, as they edged Cuba in the tough five-set match on Friday.
Iran coach Igor Kolakovic: “Normally set is played until 25 points but we came a little bit relaxed and so we lost the first two sets. I’m disappointed with our play in the important moments of the first half of the match. However, in volleyball you always have to play even if you are not having a good day. We must learn how to play in these difficult situations.”
Iran captain Saeid Marouf: “We can’t say that we are not satisfied because a victory is a victory. Cuba started better and managed to surprise us with very strong serving. They were also incredible in defence. After that our experience led us to get back in the game. We took control and showed our normal volleyball.”
Cuba coach Nicolas Vives: “That was a good game. We started well enough but Iran are a very strong team. We didn’t keep the advantage but still I’m satisfied with the way my team played.”
Cuba captain Livan Osoria: “We had a very good start but then we did too many mistakes in spiking and serving. But we don’t have to be upset – Iran are one of the top teams in the world. It is never a shame to lose a match against a strong team.”