PHNOM PENH – The national men’s volleyball team fought back from a set down to beat Myanmar 3-1 in their second Group B match at the 2023 SEA Games today and keep their semi-final hopes alive.
Coach Shamsaimo Mohd Sharit’s men, who lost to Thailand in their opening game yesterday, had to toil for one hour and 55 minutes to overcome Myanmar 22-25, 25-21, 25-14, 25-20 at the National Olympic Stadium, here.
The win should boost team morale ahead of their final group match against Vietnam on Saturday (May 6) as they seek to book a spot in the last four.
National skipper Sim Jian Qin told reporters that he and his teammates had to work their socks off to get the better of Myanmar.
He also admitted that the young national spikers were nervous at the start of the match against Myanmar, thus resulting in them losing the first set before regaining their composure to take the next three.
“In the first set, we were under pressure because we lost to Thailand yesterday and knew we had to win today.
“But in the second set, we managed to deal with the pressure and that helped us seal victory.
“All of us played very well, because we knew that only a win would give us a chance to qualify for semi-finals,” he said.
Looking ahead to the crucial game against Vietnam, he said it will be a do-or-die mission for them and hopes they will be able to raise their game.
According to the competition format, the top two teams from Groups A and B will advance to the semi-finals. – Bernama, May 4, 2023
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