TEHRAN – Iran earned a hard-fought win over Korea at the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) 2020 Olympic Qualification Tournament semis in Jiangmen, China on Saturday.

Team Melli defeated Korea 3-2 (22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 22-25, 15-13).

Kwang-In Jeon led Korea with a match-high 25 points and Ali Shafiei scored 17 points for Iran.

“It was a very special game for us as team Korea put us under pressure from the beginning of game. They had good serves and position in defense. We didn’t find a way to make some good serves. But after the first set, we started to play much better, fighting for each point until the end,” Iran coach Igor Kolakovic said in the post-match news conference.

“And I am very happy to qualify for the final. I don’t care about who our opponents will be, tomorrow there will be new opportunities for us to win an important game,” he added.

Iran will play China on Sunday.

The winners will book a berth in the 2020 Olympic Games.