Hamamatsu, Japan, September 8, 2015 – Argentina overcame Iran 3-1 (25-27, 25-22, 25-22, 26-24) in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup at Hamamatsu Arena on Tuesday.
Argentina coach Julio Velasco: "I’m very happy with the win. Iran are at a higher world level so to beat Iran them is great for our team. As I said at the first press conference, we lost to Iran in the World Championship; I wasn’t happy then and I’m not so happy this time. When I coached Iran against Argentina, I was happy for Iran but sad for Argentina. This time, I’m happy for Argentina but sad for Iran."
Argentina captain Luciano De Cecco: "The first game is very important for us. For some of the players, it’s their first time to play. I think today is a good first step toward the Olympic Games. I wish the best for Iran in the competition."
Iran coach Slobodan Kovac: "Congratulations to Argentina; they played better than us. I’m not so happy to lose but it’s a long tournament so we must try to play better later on. Today, we tried to play better. We won the first set with just three good serves."
Iran captain Mir Saeid Marouflakrani: "Congratulations to Argentina; they deserved this win. They had a great team performance in block and defence but on our side it wasn’t so good. We had a chance in the fourth set and tried with substitutions, but it wasn’t enough. It was an important match for us. It was our first match and we lost. I hope we can improve in the next matches."