TEHRAN – Foolad Sirjan Iranian struggled to beat Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima Qmin C VC in dramatic five-setter 25-17, 22-25, 25-17, 19-25, 15-11 for first victory in Pool C in the inaugural AVC Men’s Champions League at Panasonic Arena here on Sunday.

Amirhossein Esfandiar scored a match-high 25 points including 21 kills, one block and 3 aces for Foolad Sirjan Iranian, while Ali Hijipour added another 24 points for the team.

Tamiraa Khangal led Nakhon Ratchasima Qmin C VC with 21 points from 19 attacks, one block and one ace.

Though scoring only 10 points including 6 points for Foolad Sirjan Iranian, Earvin Ngapeth became the center of attention as he steered France to consecutive two-time Summer Olympic gold medal as well as MVP and Best Outside Spiker awards for both occasions.

“It was the first game of the competition, so, very important to win. It was not easy due to the timing. Playing at 10am is not easy for us, but although we won in five sets, it’s still important. Our next match remains the same as we have to play at 10am again. However, we have to win,” Ngapeth said after the match.

Nakhon Ratchasima Qmin C VC will next face Chinese Taipei’s Taichung Bank on Monday at 10:05 a.m. local time, while Foolad Sirjan will wrap up their pool play campaign against the same opponent on Tuesday at 10:05 a.m.