Pakistan finish eighth in U20 Volleyball

KARACHI: Pakistan went down to Bahrain 2-3 to finish eighth in the 21st Asian Men's Under-20 Volleyball Championship at Riffa, Bahrain, on Monday.

The seventh-place game turned out to be an absorbing affair as ups and downs were seen from both sides before Bahrain sealed a narrow win in the fifth and decisive set to record victory in front of their home crowd.

After wining the first set 25-22, Pakistan lost momentum and conceded the second set 17-25. However, they fought back bravely and won the third set 25-23 to take 2-1 lead. Bahrain did a fine job at this stage as they went on to win the remaining two sets 25-22 and 15-13 to conquer the Green-shirts.

"It was a close game but towards the end our players remained in stress which helped the rivals," a senior official of Pakistan team told 'The News' from Bahrain. "It was the sixth game for our team and I think we slightly lacked in fitness but this area has shown improvement as compared to the past," the official said.

Pakistan team will return on Tuesday (today).