Crowd favorite Japan vented its frustration on Libya, rolling to an emphatic 25-20, 25-15, 25-22 victory in a graceful exit from the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Reeling from back-to-back losses, the Ryujin Nippon came out firing, never trailing in any set, much to the delight of the pro-Japanese Filipino home crowd.
Japan showcased a balanced attack, led by Kento Miyaura, who finished with 15 points on 11 hits, three aces, and a block. In a heartwarming moment after the match, Miyaura exchanged jerseys with Libyan libero-captain Foad Elmaarug, 42, the oldest player in the 32-team tournament, drawing cheers from fans of both teams.
Team captain Yuki Ishikawa contributed 12 points on 11 hits, while Ran Takahashi and Larry Ik Evbade-Dan added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Shunichiro Sato chipped in eight points, with playmaker Motoki Eiro providing 32 sets as Japan finally triumphed after straight-set losses to Turkey and Canada.
“We lost the last two games, and along with that, we lost our confidence. But we knew we had to change our mindset and come back in this game,” said Takahashi.
Japan had high expectations but fell to Turkey, 19-25, 23-25, 19-25, and Canada, 20-25, 23-25, 22-25.
For Libya, Ikhbayri Ahmed Abulubaba Amhimmid scored 11 points, while Mohamed Ikhbayri Abulababa added eight in the team’s return to the world stage after nearly four decades since 1982.
In other action at the Big Dome, world No. 1 Poland (3-0) topped Pool B with a 22-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-22 comeback win over the Netherlands, which also secured a spot in the Round of 16 with a 2-1 record.
Turkey (3-0) clinched the No. 1 seed in Pool G after defeating Canada (2-1), 25-21, 25-16, 27-25, in a matchup between teams already assured of advancement.
Making only its second world championship appearance, Qatar (1-2) ended its campaign on a high note with its first-ever victory, defeating Romania (0-3), 20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-22.
At the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, USA and Portugal claimed the top seeds in Pool D with contrasting wins to advance to the Round of 16. USA (3-0) defeated Cuba (1-2), 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 27-25, completing a sweep of Pool D, while Portugal (2-1) secured the second seed after a dramatic 23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-11 reverse sweep of Colombia (0-3).
Undefeated Bulgaria (3-0) dominated Chile (0-3), 25-17, 25-12, 25-12, to sweep Pool E. Slovenia (2-1) claimed the other Round of 16 spot from Pool E by eliminating Germany (1-2), 25-21, 17-25, 31-29, 25-22.
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