By Asif Naveed
Web Desk; Pakistan continued their dominant run at the Asian Youth Games, storming into the semi-finals of the boys’ volleyball event after a commanding straight-sets win over China in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
The Green Shirts sealed the match in only 53 minutes at Isa Sports City, defeating China 25-12, 25-13, 25-17.
Earlier in the tournament, Pakistan began their campaign with a clean sweep against Mongolia, followed by a 3-0 win over hosts Bahrain in their Group ‘A’ clash. They maintained their flawless form in the classification round, overpowering Uzbekistan 3-0 and then defeating Saudi Arabia 3-1 with set scores of 25-16, 25-21, 23-25, 26-24.
Key players Khizar Hayat, Mohammad Yahya, and Mohammad Anas shone with standout performances throughout the matches.
Pakistan will now face their semi-final challenge on October 27 (Monday) at 9pm local time (11pm PKT).
Pakistan’s contingent at the ongoing Games — which run from October 22 to 31 — consists of 53 athletes. The country has already bagged its first medal, a bronze, in the boys’ kabaddi event.
In a post on social media, the Pakistan Volleyball Federation celebrated the team’s “proud achievement,” crediting Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Director General Muhammad Yasir Pirzada for arranging the national training camp that prepared the players for the international competition.
