KARACHI: In a thrilling and nerve-racking semi-final at the Asian U-18 Volleyball Championship in Bahrain, Pakistan's U-18 team was narrowly defeated by China.
The loss means Pakistan will now compete for third place, while China advances to the final.
The semi-final was a thrilling encounter that tested the nerves and skills of both teams and kept both teams trading leads throughout the match.
China won the first set, but Pakistan rallied to take the second. China then regained the lead, but Pakistan leveled the match in the fourth set after overcoming a 16-21 deficit. In the decisive fifth set, China managed to secure the victory.
The final score was 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 23-25 and 15-8 in favour of China. Among the prominent Pakistani players were Abu Bakar, Mahtat Ali Shah, Muhammad Anas and Muhammad Yahya.
By finishing among the top four teams, Pakistan also secured a place at next year's U-19 Volleyball World Championship for the first time.
It is also worth mentioning that this was only the second appearance at the Asian U-18 Volleyball Championship for Pakistan, they achieved this feat by winning the Central Asian U-18 Volleyball Championship in June this year.
The Pakistan Volleyball Federation, in a statement, said the team's performance and journey have made Pakistan proud and reflect the country's great potential in volleyball.
The statement added that the experience of playing in this event will serve as an important springboard for the team to prepare for their future assignments.
