Netherlands head coach Roberto Piazza lauded Amin Esmaeilnezhad for leading also-ran Iran past his Nimir Abdel-Aziz-led squad in the 2024 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Manila leg on Thursday, June 20.
Nimir Abdel-Aziz delivered another herculean effort in an attempt to lead the Netherlands to victory in the 2024 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Manila leg on Thursday, June 20.
Abdel-Aziz exploded with 37 points as he sustained his fiery form following a 38-point showing in a loss to Brazil last Tuesday.
But it was not enough as Abdel-Aziz and his team fell to also-ran Iran, which rode the momentum of its massive breakthrough at the expense of powerhouse USA a day ago to prevail over the Dutchmen in a five-set thriller, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 20-25, 15-10.
At the forefront of the Iranian thrust was Amin Esmaeilnezhad, who poured 29 points built on 24 attacks, three blocks and an ace.
[RELATED: VNL: Iran's dream run in Manila Leg continues with outstanding five-set win over Netherlands]
Netherlands head coach Roberto Piazza acknowledged Esmaeilnezhad's outstanding performance, admitting that the Iranian hitter outperformed his captain in this match.
“Nimir, he played a good game. But suddenly, Amin played better than Nimir. So, we have to respect that way,” the 56-year-old tactician said.
Piazza could not help but feel disappointed about the result, but he was still gracious in defeat, congratulating the spirited Iranians.
“I have to be honest, I feel bad because we lost against Iran. It was also our leader’s task to keep alive the dream to be in Paris 2024, so I cannot be happy,” the veteran mentor said.
“Of course, [Iran] deserves a victory in the end, so I need to say to them, 'Bravo.'”
With two tough losses in Manila, the Dutch now find themselves with a 3-7 record, sitting at 13th place in the standings.
Netherlands faces an uphill battle with only two games remaining in their preliminary round campaign. Its hopes of advancing hinge not only on winning its remaining matches but also on the fate of the other contenders.
Next up for Netherlands is a clash with Japan on Friday, June 21, before taking on Canada on Saturday, June 22.
“I need to think about our next two games. We have to play against Japan and against Canada [which are] two strong teams. Both of them are in front of us, so we need to put the focus on the next step,” Piazza said.