Okazaki, October 1, 2026: Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India 3-0 in the men’s volleyball quarter-final at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium on Thursday to advance to the semi-finals of the Asian Games 2026.
Pakistan made a confident start, winning the opening set 25-19 in 23 minutes to establish early control.
India fought back strongly in the second set, which lasted 34 minutes, but Pakistan held their nerve in a closely contested battle to win 25-23 and move within one set of victory.
The Green Shirts then produced a dominant display in the third set, securing a 25-18 win in 25 minutes to complete a comprehensive straight-set victory.
Opposite Murad Khan led Pakistan’s scoring with 19 points, including 18 successful spikes. Ali Usman Faryad contributed 13 points, while Mohammad Hammad added nine.
Pakistan also dominated the attacking statistics, recording 75 attack points against India’s 60, while edging their opponents 5-4 in blocks.
India had the advantage in service points and forced 20 Pakistan errors, one more than the Green Shirts.
Pakistan had earlier opened their Asian Games campaign with a 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan before defeating Uzbekistan 3-0 to qualify for the knockout stage with a match to spare.
The national side suffered a 3-0 defeat against hosts Japan in their final pool match, but bounced back strongly to eliminate India in the quarter-final.
Pakistan will now face the winner of the other quarter-final for a place in the final.
