Türkiye see off Bahrain in straight-sets at Islamic Games

Bahrain’s men’s volleyball team were unable to overcome Türkiye yesterday, losing 3-0 in their 3rd round-robin match at the sixth Islamic Solidarity Games.

The kingdom entered the game following a 3-2 opening loss to Iran and a 3-1 victory over hosts Saudi Arabia, showing flashes of promise in the early stages of the tournament.

Türkiye arrived with strong form of their own, having opened with a 3-1 win over Qatar, suffered a 3-1 setback to Iran, and then bounced back with a 3-0 victory over Chad. Yesterday, they claimed all three sets against Bahrain 25-22, 34-32, 25-22 in a match lasting nearly 96 minutes. The second set was a particular highlight, stretching to 34-32 as Bahrain battled multiple set points but could not convert at decisive moments.

Bahrain produced notable individual performances. Naser Anan led with 12 spikes and 13 points from blocks, while Mahmood and Mohamed each added double-digit contributions. Hasan and Ali provided crucial support at the net, but the team struggled to match Türkiye’s precision and firepower.

The Turkish side were led by Cansin Ogbai, who recorded 12 kills and 10 block points, with Gokcen and Onur adding eight and five kills respectively. Mustafa’s defensive presence at the net and Yigit Savas’s six points from serves helped Türkiye control critical phases of play.

The defeat leaves Bahrain with one win and two losses in the round-robin. They now face Chad today at 4pm at Boulevard SEF Arena in Riyadh, before concluding the round-robin against Qatar on Wednesday, with their chances of a top-two finish now uncertain.