The African team secured a dominant three-set victory over the host nation in the opening match of the tournament in Pasay City.
The SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City was set for a momentous occasion: the historic debut of the host nation, the Philippines, in the FIVB Men`s Volleyball World Championship. However, it was Tunisia who ultimately celebrated, claiming their first victory in the 2025 edition of the tournament.
Leveraging their considerable international experience, the African team convincingly defeated the highly motivated hosts with a commanding 3-0 score (25-13, 25-17, 25-23) in the match that inaugurated the 21st World Championship.
This victory earned Tunisia three points in Pool A, bringing them closer to repeating their 2022 success and advancing to the elimination rounds. While the Philippines didn`t secure any points in their inaugural World Championship match, they still have two more opportunities to earn crucial points and contend for a spot in the next stage.
Outside hitter Oussama Ben Romdhane spearheaded Tunisia`s offense, tallying 17 points, comprising 15 kills and two blocks. Middle blocker Ahmed Kadhi, fellow outside hitter Elyes Karamosli, and opposite Ali Bongui each contributed nine points.
“We’re very happy to be here, in this amazing stadium and incredible atmosphere,” Ben Romdhane stated. “We knew that they would be very strong defensively and that they would serve well, so we just tried to be consistent throughout the match. It was a good start for us, and now we have two more matches against Egypt and Iran, and we need to win at least one of them to qualify.”
The Filipino fans witnessed a remarkable performance from their captain in their first World Championship match, as outside hitter Bryan Bagunas emerged as the encounter’s top scorer with 23 points (20 kills, two aces, one block). Teammate Marck Espejo added nine points.
“It wasn’t really a good start for us, but it was a great game,” Bagunas reflected. “This was our first time as part of the World Championship, and it was a great experience for us. We’re very thankful for the support the fans have been giving us, and we count on them for our next two matches.”
The African team asserted dominance at the net, outscoring their Asian counterparts in kills (44 to 36) and blocks (ten to three). They also committed significantly fewer errors (nine to 19). The Philippines, however, held an advantage from the service line, delivering five aces compared to Tunisia’s two.
The second first-round match in Pool A, featuring Iran and Egypt, is scheduled for Sunday at 13:30 local time (5:30 GMT).
Tunis Filippin Voleybol Jahon Chempionati debyutini buzdi
Afrika jamoasi turnirning ochilish oʻyinida mezbonlarni uch setlik ishonchli gʻalaba bilan magʻlub etdi.
Pasay Siti shahridagi SM Mall of Asia arenasida FIVB erkaklar oʻrtasidagi voleybol boʻyicha Jahon chempionatida mezbon Filippin terma jamoasining tarixiy debyuti boʻlib oʻtdi. Biroq, 2025-yilgi musobaqada ilk gʻalabasini qoʻlga kiritgan Tunis jamoasi bayram qilish uchun maydonni tark etdi.
Oʻzining ancha katta xalqaro tajribasidan foydalangan holda, Afrika jamoasi Jahon chempionatining 21-nashrini ochib bergan oʻyinda yuqori motivatsiyali mezbon jamoani 3:0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-23) hisobida ishonchli tarzda magʻlub etdi.
Bu gʻalaba tunisliklarga «A» guruhida uch ochko olib keldi va ularni 2022-yildagi muvaffaqiyatlarini takrorlash hamda pley-off bosqichiga chiqishga bir qadam yaqinlashtirdi. Filippin oʻzining Jahon chempionatidagi ilk oʻyinida ochko toʻplay olmadi, ammo ular ochko olish va keyingi bosqichga chiqish uchun yana ikkita imkoniyatga ega boʻladi.
Hujumchi Oussama Ben Romdhane Tunisning hujumiga boshchilik qilib, 17 ochko (15 hujum, ikkita blok) toʻpladi. Markaziy blokchi Ahmad Kadhi, tashqi hujumchi Elyes Karamosli va diagonal Ali Bongui ham har biri toʻqqiz ochkodan hissa qoʻshishdi.
«Biz bu yerda, ushbu ajoyib stadionda va unutilmas muhitda boʻlganimizdan juda xursandmiz», — dedi Ben Romdhane. «Biz ularning himoyada juda kuchli boʻlishini va yaxshi toʻp uzatishini bilardik, shuning uchun oʻyin davomida barqaror boʻlishga harakat qildik. Bu biz uchun yaxshi boshlanish boʻldi, endi bizda Misr va Eronga qarshi yana ikkita oʻyin bor va saralash uchun ulardan kamida bittasida gʻalaba qozonishimiz kerak».
Filippinliklar Jahon chempionatidagi ilk oʻyinlarida oʻz sardorlarining ajoyib oʻyiniga guvoh boʻlishdi: hujumchi Brayan Bagunas 23 ochko (20 hujum, ikkita eys, bitta blok) bilan uchrashuvning eng yaxshi toʻpurari boʻldi. Hujumdagi sherigi Mark Espejo yana toʻqqiz ochko qoʻshdi.
«Bu biz uchun unchalik yaxshi boshlanish emas edi, ammo bu ajoyib oʻyin boʻldi», — deya fikr bildirdi Bagunas. «Bu bizning Jahon chempionatidagi birinchi ishtirokimiz edi va bu biz uchun katta tajriba boʻldi. Biz muxlislarning bergan qoʻllab-quvvatlashlari uchun juda minnatdormiz va keyingi ikkita oʻyinimizda ham ularga ishonamiz».
Afrika jamoasi toʻr oldida ustunlik qildi, oʻzining Osiyolik raqiblaridan hujumlar (44 ga qarshi 36) va bloklar (oʻnga qarshi uch) boʻyicha ustun keldi, shuningdek, ancha kam xato qildi (toʻqqizga qarshi 19). Filippin toʻp uzatishda ustunlik qilib, Tunisning ikkita eysiga qarshi beshta eys amalga oshirdi.
«A» guruhidagi ikkinchi birinchi bosqich oʻyini, Eron va Misr oʻrtasida, yakshanba kuni mahalliy vaqt bilan soat 13:30 da (GMT boʻyicha 5:30) boʻlib oʻtadi.
