NAGOYA, Japan: Pakistan stormed into the Asian Games men’s volleyball semifinals Thursday with a straight-sets victory over India, winning 3-0 in the quarterfinal at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium.
Pakistan set the tone early, taking the opening set 25-19 in 23 minutes as Murad Khan and the team’s attacking unit put India under sustained pressure.
India fought back in the second set, turning it into a closely contested battle. Pakistan, however, remained composed in the crucial exchanges to secure a 25-23 win after 34 minutes.
The Green Shirts then took control in the third set, pulling away from India to claim it 25-18 in 25 minutes and seal their place in the semifinals.
Murad Khan was Pakistan’s top scorer with 19 points, including 18 successful spikes. Ali Usman Faryad contributed 13 points, while Mohammad Hammad added nine.
Pakistan also finished ahead in attack points, producing 75 compared with India’s 60, and held a narrow 5-4 advantage in blocks. India recorded more service points and benefited from 20 Pakistan errors, one more than its own total.
Pakistan had opened its Asian Games campaign with a 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan before sweeping Uzbekistan 3-0 to qualify for the knockout stage with a match to spare.
The team then suffered a 3-0 defeat against hosts Japan in its final pool match. Japan and defending champions Iran are among the leading contenders for the men’s volleyball gold medal.
