Team Philippines’ Ave Joshua Retamar (No. 3), Leo Ordiales (No. 17, partly hidden), Lloyd Josafat (No. 20) (PNA photo by Avito Dalan)
Alas Pilipinas etched its name in history books after pulling off a stunning 29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21 victory over world No. 22 Egypt on Tuesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City—marking the country’s first-ever win in the FIVB Men’s World Championship.
Outside hitter Marck Jesus Espejo sealed the historic triumph with a towering block that sent the home crowd into a frenzy. Espejo finished with 13 points, including one service ace, while team captain Bryan Bagunas spearheaded the attack with a match-high 25 points on 23 kills and two blocks. Rising star Leo Ordiales also shone brightly, delivering 21 points on a sizzling 61 percent success rate and firing two aces.
With the breakthrough victory, the Philippines surged from No. 88 to No. 77 in the world rankings. All four squads in Pool A now hold identical 1-1 records, setting the stage for high-stakes do-or-die matches on Thursday: Egypt vs. Tunisia at 1:30 p.m., followed by the Philippines battling world No. 14 Iran at 5:30 p.m.
Despite committing more unforced errors than Egypt (33-29), the Filipinos outgunned their foes in all other scoring categories—58-52 in attack points, 11-8 in kill blocks, and 4-1 in service aces.
“I’m super happy that we got the win and that I played well,” said Ordiales. “After the loss to Tunisia, we talked about our mistakes and worked hard in training. Now we’re just so happy to see so many fans supporting us.”
The upset loss dealt a heavy blow to Egypt’s campaign despite 15 points from opposite Seif Abed and 14 from middle blocker Mohamed Osman Elhaddad Hamada, who tallied five of his team’s eight kill blocks.
Earlier results in the group stage added more intrigue to the race for the Round of 16. Tunisia stunned the Philippines in the opener on September 12 but fell to Iran on Tuesday, while over at Smart Araneta Coliseum, Ukraine dominated Algeria in Pool F, 25-17, 25-12, 25-11, and Argentina downed South Korea in Pool C, 25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18. Brazil also closed in on a knockout berth with a 25-11, 25-22, 25-18 win over Czechia in Pasay.
As of posting time, only USA, Canada, Bulgaria, Poland, the Netherlands, and Türkiye have officially booked spots in the Round of 16—leaving the rest of the field, including the surging Filipinos, fighting for survival.