Tehran: Japan smashed Qatar’ dreams of advancing to their unprecedented final at the Asian Volleyball Championship in Urmia, Iran, yesterday, after a hard-fought four-set thriller. The dramatic 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-14, 28-26) win earned Japan a spot in the final.
The unbeaten Japanese will battle it out for the eventual title with the winners of the other semi-final match between Iran and China. Ran Takahashi chipped in with 19 points for Japan including 18 attacks. Raimi Wadidie led Qatar with 14 points.
The Qatari team led their Group E, then reached the quarterfinals before reaching the semi-finals after defeating Chinese Taipei.