Defending champions Qatar battled past a resilient Vietnam with a 3-2 victory to book a place in the semi-finals of the AVC Volleyball Nations Cup in Manama, Bahrain. After dropping a tense first set 29-31, the top seeds hit back with 25-21 and 25-15 wins. Vietnam refused to fold, leveling the match 2-2 with a 25-22 fourth set, but Qatar held firm in the decider, clinching it 15-12.
Qatar will meet Pakistan in the semis, in a rematch of last year’s final, where Qatar emerged victorious to clinch the title. Pakistan, who also topped their group, continued their impressive form by defeating Indonesia 3-1 in their quarter-final. After losing the opening set 20-25, Pakistan bounced back strongly to seal the win by taking the next three sets 25-21, 25-20 and 25-17. Hosts Bahrain will meet South Korea in the other semi-final. Bahrain swept Chinese Taipei 3-0, while South Korea advanced with a 3-1 win over Australia. Classification matches for 5th–8th places take place today, with the final set for Tuesday.
