TEHRAN – Iran’s men’s basketball team left Nagoya with a bronze medal and, perhaps more importantly, a reminder of what this group can produce when its confidence, shooting and defensive intensity come together.
The 79-70 victory over China secured Iran’s first Asian Games medal since 2018 and the delegation’s first medal in Aichi-Nagoya.
The result was particularly significant because of the manner in which it was achieved. After a disastrous 77-51 semifinal defeat to South Korea, Iran could easily have allowed disappointment to define the final game of its campaign. Instead, the team recovered from a 17-12 first-quarter deficit, improved its perimeter shooting and dominated the third quarter 26-15. Matin Aghajanpour led Iran with 21 points, while Arsalan Kazemi once again provided physical presence and rebounding. China, meanwhile, struggled to contain Iran from three-point range and committed 16 turnovers.
That contrast perhaps tells the larger story of this Iranian team. Its ceiling is clearly higher than its recent inconsistency suggests. In Nagoya, Iran lost its opener to Qatar 59-53, then beat Chinese Taipei, Jordan and Bahrain before the heavy semifinal defeat to Korea. The bronze-medal game showed that the problem is not necessarily a lack of talent, but the team’s ability to reproduce its best level from one game to the next.
That issue will become even more important in the coming months. Iran’s next major challenge is the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, with the fifth qualifying window scheduled for November 23-December 1.
Iran is in Group E alongside Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Jordan and Syria, with the results from the previous round carried forward. The top three teams in each second-round group, plus the best fourth-placed team alongside host Qatar, will qualify for the World Cup.
For coach Sotiris Manolopoulos, therefore, the Nagoya bronze is both an achievement and a warning. The medal can strengthen belief in a developing generation, but it should not hide the weaknesses exposed against Korea and during parts of the Asian Games. Iran needs greater offensive consistency, more reliable three-point shooting and better execution under pressure.
The encouraging point is that the core of this team has already shown it can compete. The next step is turning occasional performances like the victory over China into a standard rather than an exception. The bronze medal has restored Iran’s place on the podium. The World Cup qualifiers will show whether this team is ready to build something bigger.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: tehrantimes.com
