In the opening set, Iran came out on the wrong side with a 25-20. However, Igor Kolakovics men worked their way around in the 2nd to get back in business; they first tied the set at 18-all, and then built on that to edge the Italians with a 25-23 win.
The Iranians continued to impress in the 3rd, thanks to a great display by Amir Ghafour and Pouria Fayyaazi, who led the Asian powerhouse to another 25 to 23 victory.
Italy got off to a good start and took a 3-point lead in the 4th set, but Kolakovics clever use of timeouts paid off when his squad turned over the match and wrapped up the 3-1 victory with a 25-to-22 triumph.
Iran will meet the home-favorites China on Saturday.
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