India’s boys’ volleyball team bowed out of the AVC U18 Men’s Volleyball Championship after suffering a heartbreaking quarterfinal defeat to former champions Japan in Haikou, China, on Thursday.
Despite taking a 2-1 lead, India went down 2-3 (17-25, 25-14, 25-20, 22-25, 10-15) in a thrilling five-set contest.
The defeat also ended India’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 FIVB U19 World Championship, with only the four semifinalists earning qualification.
India made a shaky start, conceding the opening set 17-25 after a series of unforced errors. However, they responded in style, dominating the second set 25-14 before carrying the momentum into the third to take it 25-20.
Holding an 18-15 lead in the fourth set, India looked on course to seal a famous victory. But Japan mounted a late comeback to snatch the set 25-22, forcing a decider.
The momentum remained with Japan in the fifth set as they held their nerve to close out the match 15-10 and book their place in the semifinals.
The result marks India’s second successive quarterfinal exit at the tournament after their historic bronze medal-winning campaign in 2022.
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