*This content was translated by AI.
The South Korean men's Bae Gu (CEO) team suffered a powerless defeat against Japan in the semifinals (quarterfinals) of the 2026 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship. The gap in performance was so significant that even Japanese media used the term "dominated."
Led by coach Isanaye Ramirez, South Korea lost to Japan 0-3 (13-25, 11-25, 14-25) in the semifinals of the tournament held at Kitakyushu Municipal Gymnasium in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, on the 12th.
As indicated by South Korea's set scores, which barely reached 11 to 14 points, it was truly a one-sided match. The game duration did not even exceed an hour. Heo Su-bong (Hyundai Capital) scored only six points, the team's highest scorer.
After the match, Nippon TV reported that "the Japanese Bae Gu (CEO) team dominated Korea with 10 aces," adding that they "secured their place in the finals with an overwhelming performance throughout."
In fact, on this day, South Korea was significantly behind Japan 2-10 in aces and also trailed 19-43 in attack points. They repeatedly allowed consecutive points, losing control of the game's momentum, and could not even maintain the flow they briefly seemed to change in the early part of the third set.
Another media outlet, Sports Hochi, reported that "Japan took the first set decisively with a score of 25-13 and won the second set 25-11 without allowing any comeback from Korea. At 22-10, they even employed a 'fake set,' pretending to spike before tossing the ball to deceive opponents."
It further added that "although the early part of the third set favored Korea, Japan successfully turned the tide by leading with aces and maintained control until the end of the match." The report also included an interview with captain Ishikawa Yuki, who casually dismissed South Korea and stated, "The real battle is tomorrow (the 13th)."
Japanese media D&N reported that "among Korean fans who lost to Japan, voices lamenting the huge skill gap have not stopped on social media (SNS)," adding that "Japan dominated Korea throughout, and the setter freely orchestrated the attack line."
Meanwhile, having failed to reach the finals due to today's defeat, South Korea will play a third-place match against Australia at 3:30 p.m. on the 13th. The chance to qualify for the 2027 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Cup, awarded up to third place, is South Korea's final goal in this tournament.
The final match will be between Japan and Iran. The tournament winner will earn qualification for the 2028 LA Olympics main draw and the 2027 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Cup. Both second and third-place teams will also compete on next year's World Cup stage.
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*This content was translated by AI.
