Defeat of the Most Experienced Team of the Tournament

The Gas Al-Janoob Volleyball Team from Iraq achieved a significant victory in their opening match of the 2024 Asian Men’s Club Championship, defeating Al-Rayyan.

According to the communications department of the Volleyball Federation, the 26th Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship kicked off today (Sunday, September 8) at the 6,000-seat Shahediyeh Hall in Yazd.

In the second match of the opening day, Gas Al-Janoob (Iraq) faced off against Al-Rayyan Sports Club (Qatar) at 2:30 PM, with the Iraqi representative winning the match 3-1.

Gas Al-Janoob triumphed in the first, second, and fourth sets with scores of 25-23, 25-20, and 25-21, respectively. However, they lost the third set 20-25 to their opponents. Notably, an injury to Riyadh Azeez Mohammed, the middle blocker for Gas Al-Janoob, was an unfortunate setback that occurred in the first set.

In the opening set, Al-Rayyan’s players, coached by Morad Sennoun, engaged in a tightly contested battle but ultimately lost 25-23 to the Iraqi team. The second set followed a similar pattern, ending with a score of 25-20 in favor of Gas Al-Janoob.

In the third set, Al-Rayyan managed to recover from their earlier losses, defeating Gas Al-Janoob 25-20 and forcing a fourth set.

The fourth set was equally competitive as both teams battled closely. However, Al-Rayyan’s efforts fell short, allowing Gas Al-Janoob to secure victory with a score of 25-21.

The match was attended by approximately 1,500 spectators. Iranian referee Ebrahim Firouzi and Afghan referee Hamed Aghabarari officiated the game, which lasted for 133 minutes.

Other teams in Group B include Foolad Sirjan (Iran) and Kam Air (Afghanistan), who are set to compete against each other at 8 PM.

Al-Rayyan is a historic and successful team in Qatar, established in 1968. The team has participated in the Men’s Club World Championship and achieved the second rank in 2014. They own 11 championships in the Qatar Professional Volleyball League, 16 Amir Cup titles, and 9 Crown Prince Cup victories. Additionally, Al-Rayyan has won the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council Champions Cup in 2011 and 2015 and has been crowned champions of Arab countries and the Asian Nations Cup.

In previous editions of the Asian Men’s Club Championship, Al-Rayyan has secured two second-rank positions in 2013 and 2014 and one third-place finish in 2019 under the guidance of coach Mubarak Eid.