Kim Malabunga took the blame for his net fault, as his potential game-winning block became the biggest “what-if” for Alas Pilipinas.
Malabunga had blocked Ali Haghparast, sending the 14,240-strong home crowd and the team into a wild celebration on Thursday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
However, Iran called for a net fault challenge, and the replay clearly showed Malabunga’s contact with the net, tying the decider at 19-all.
Haghparast and Yousef Poshtpari then sealed the comeback, sending Iran to the Round of 16 with a 21-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 22-20 victory.
Malabunga appeared apologetic as he entered the mixed zone for media interviews and met supporters at the fan zone.
“It’s hard to explain. I was really down after the game. That moment was mine. We should’ve won, but I lost my balance. I’m really sorry. That’s on me,” Malabunga said.
Fans—both online and at the arena—were quick to encourage him, noting it wasn’t entirely his fault and that he gave his best effort.
In fact, Malabunga scored 10 points, helping Alas Pilipinas take a 2-1 match advantage and keeping the team in contention despite trailing 6-10 in the decider.
“All I can really say is I feel both happy and sad. I’m happy because I see our coaches and teammates proud of the result. Everything we worked so hard for over the past year really showed in this game. But at the same time, I can’t help but feel a bit of regret,” he said.
It will take time for Malabunga to move on from this heartbreaker, but Alas Pilipinas still earned global respect by proving it belongs among the 32 nations at the World Championship—with a breakthrough win over African champion Egypt and nearly reaching the Round of 16 against world No. 16 Iran.
“This World Championship means a lot to us. It’s such a big experience, and it’ll help us grow for the next tournaments. We’ll just keep working harder so we can make it up to the Filipino people,” Malabunga said.
“I truly believe men’s volleyball in the Philippines is going to rise after this. You saw it. We didn’t go down easily. In our last two games, all the hard work from the past year really came through.”
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