THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Thailand finish eighth as Australia deal another blow

Thailand finish eighth as Australia deal another blow

Thailand suffered a humiliating 25-22 25-23 25-13 defeat at the hands of Australia, the team they had beaten comfortably in the first round, to finish a disappointing eighth in the 4th AVC Cup for Men here yesterday.

On Saturday, the Thais lost to Asian Games champions Japan, who fielded a young volleyball squad preparing for the 2016 Olympics, 25-23 26-24 25-23 25-16 15-11 in the 5th-8th play-offs.
Thailand started well against the world No 12 Aussies. Smashing machine Jirayu Raksakaew penetrated the Australian defence with his spectacular spikes. Towards the end of the first game, the Aussies sent down a couple of cracking shots to win the set 25-22.
The second game began in a similar fashion as the first, with the Thais making a strong start and losing steam at the end. Australia snatched the hotly contested set 25-23 for a 2-0 lead.
The third game turned out to be totally one-sided with Thailand prone to unforced errors. The Aussies grew in confidence and stormed past their woeful rivals 25-13 for the seventh place.
“We did not start well. Fatigue and exhaustion played a big role in the performances of my players. They played many tough matches, all five-setters against Iran, China and Japan. Although we beat Australia easily in the first round, we could not replicate the feat. I’m happy with my team even though we finished a disappointing eighth. Upon our arrival in Bangkok, I will let my players take two days rest before starting all over again with intensive preparation for next month’s Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea,” Thailand’s head coach Monchai Supajirakul said.
Meanwhile, China finished fifth after outclassing Japan in four games 25-20 21-25 25-12 25-23. The third-place play-off between Kazakhstan and Iran and the final between India and South Korea were to be played later yesterday.
Against Japan, Thailand lost the first two games 23-25 24-26, but pulled up their socks to win the next two games 25-23 25-16 for a 2-2 tie.
The tie-breaker saw Thailand, led by powerful Jirayu, take a commanding 9-6 lead before Japan roared back mightily with explosive attacks and solid blocks. The Japanese caught Thailand at 9-9 and stormed on to win the decider 15-11 and the match.
Jirayu scored a match-high 39 points consisting of 35 attack hits, 3 blocks and one serve. Issel Otake led Japan with 21 points.
 
 
 
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