Pakistan defeat Chinese Taipei to win last group C match

KARACHI: Pakistan survived a dramatic comeback from Chinese Taipei to win their last group C match 3-2 in AVC men’s volleyball nation cup. The match saw dramatic momentum swings, with Pakistan surrendering a two-set lead before regrouping to take the decisive fifth set to complete the win with scores of 25-20, 25-22, 21-25, 16-25, 18-16

Pakistan controlled the early stages, capitalising on Chinese Taipei’s errors to claim the first two sets. However, the Chinese Taipei responded with improved attacking play, levelling the match by winning the next two frames. The fifth set proved most dramatic, with Pakistan overcoming an 8-5 deficit before finally converting their third match point at 18-16.

The match featured contrasting strengths. Pakistan's defence made the difference, outblocking their opponents 14-4, with Musawer contributing a match-high 4 blocks. Chinese Taipei held the edge in attacks (72-62) but hurt themselves with 21 attacking errors. Pakistan's Murad Khan delivered an all-around performance with 19 points (14 attacks, 1 block, 4 service points).

With this victory, Pakistan maintained a perfect record in group play after previously defeating the Philippines. The win secures top position in Group C and sets up a quarterfinal matchup against either hosts Bahrain or Indonesia.

The match lasted 2 hours and 18 minutes. Both teams demonstrated remarkable resilience, with the final set alone featuring 8 tie scores and 4 lead changes before Pakistan finally closed out the victory.