*This content was translated by AI.
The Chinese volleyball community is visibly frustrated after suffering a comeback defeat against South Korea and being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship. While applauding the Korean players' performance, they are also launching sharp criticism toward their own athletes.
Earlier, under coach Isanay Ramirez, South Korea secured a 3-1 (17-25, 25-21, 25-22, 29-27) comeback victory over China in the quarterfinals held on the 10th at Kitakyushu Gymnasium in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, advancing to the semifinals. This marks South Korea's first appearance in the semifinals of this tournament since the 2019 Asian Championship, seven years later.
It was a thrilling comeback win. After losing the first set 17-25 and starting nervously, South Korea completely shifted the momentum from the second set onward. Equalizing the set score boosted their confidence, and they secured the third set as well before clinching victory in the fourth set after a tense deuce battle, celebrating on the court. Heo Su-bong (Hyundai Capital) and Im Dong-hyuk (Korean Air) each scored 21 points, leading their team to victory.
Even in China, there was no hiding the shock after losing despite taking the first set. Sina Sports criticized the match harshly, stating, "A tragic comeback defeat even after winning the first set. For fans, it was a frustrating and infuriating game. At the start of the match, the Chinese national team seemed unstoppable, but once they allowed the comeback, they ultimately failed to turn the tide."
The media pointed out, "China dominated the first set completely, but the situation flipped entirely from the second set onward. Chronic issues of Chinese men's volleyball surfaced: unstable mentality, consecutive errors, and an extremely poor ability to handle pressure. They became easily nervous after conceding a point and failed to move on from past plays, leading to frequent consecutive points lost."
It further added, "When looking solely at attacks, China did not fall behind South Korea and even showed superiority in some situations, but their biggest weaknesses were fully exposed. Despite showing determination by fighting until the end, they lacked the ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities at critical moments and ultimately lost. Fatal flaws such as weak serves, excessive errors, and immature mentality were revealed. South Korea showcased overwhelming offensive power through Im Dong-hyuk and Heo Su-bong."
Another media outlet, Sohu Sports, also reported, "Even after China won the first set, their attack efficiency dropped when South Korea strengthened its reception in the second set. They failed to seize scoring opportunities at crucial moments afterward." It added, "China fell short of South Korea in overall attack success rate and stability at decisive points. South Korea held an advantage over China in serves and receptions and demonstrated high decisiveness at critical moments near the end of sets."
Having defeated China and advanced to the semifinals, South Korea will compete against the winner of the Japan-India match for a spot in the final. The tournament champion will secure qualification for the 2028 LA Olympics and a berth in the 2027 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Cup next year. Teams finishing second or third will also earn qualification for next year's men's World Cup.
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*This content was translated by AI.
