Alas Pilipinas announced their arrival on the world stage in spectacular fashion, toppling reigning African champions Egypt, 29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21, in a thrilling showdown at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Tuesday night. The victory marked the Philippine Men’s National Volleyball Team’s first-ever win at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship and sent waves of celebration across the home crowd.
The passionate support from the fans played a pivotal role, energizing the squad to deliver a performance that propelled the Philippines up the FIVB world rankings—from 89th to 77th—following this monumental triumph.
As hosts of the tournament, Alas Pilipinas leveled their record at 1-1, earning three points in Pool A and leaving all four teams in the group with identical records. This set the stage for a dramatic final day of pool play on Thursday, where only the top two teams advance to the Round of 16. The Philippines will face world No. 14 Iran at 5:30 p.m., while Egypt battles Tunisia at 1:30 p.m.
“I laid on the ground because I was very happy. This is not just for the Philippines, this team was with me for 15 or 16 months, and I saw how they improved. I was waiting for that winning moment, to win one match to show everybody how much we improved in these 16 months—and that happened today,” said head coach Angiolino Frigoni, who collapsed to the floor in pure joy after the win.
The first set set the tone for the historic victory. The home team saved four set points against the world No. 21 Egyptians before Bryan Bagunas, Kim Malabunga, and Leo Ordiales each scored consecutive points—a power tip, a block, and an ace—to seal a nail-biting 29-27 win.
“When we won the first set, it felt like the best game of our lives. That’s when we started to believe we could do this and win,” said Marck Espejo.
Although Egypt struck back in the second set, 25-23, Alas Pilipinas remained composed. They broke away from a 20-all deadlock in the third set, with Espejo delivering three points in a 5-1 run that put the team on the brink of victory, 25-21.
In the fourth, the Philippines’ focus and poise proved unbreakable. Bagunas and Espejo executed a devastating combination—a powerful hit through a three-man block and a solid defensive stop on Abdelrahman Elhossiny—to close out the historic two-hour-and-17-minute match.
“I’m just so happy because this is not just a bounce-back performance for me, but it was a bounce-back win for the Philippines,” said 22-year-old Ordiales, who rebounded from a two-point game against Tunisia with 21 points on 19 spikes and two aces.
Bagunas continued his stellar form with 25 points on 23 spikes and two blocks, while Espejo contributed 13 points, including nine spikes, three blocks, and an ace. Middle blockers Kim Malabunga and Lloyd Josafat added seven and five points, respectively, while setter Owa Retamar recorded a 39 percent setting efficiency, orchestrating the team’s offense with precision.
For Egypt, Seifeldin Hassan Aly led the effort with 15 points, supported by Mohamed Osman Elhaddad’s 14, but even their best efforts could not overcome the home team’s historic surge.
Alas Pilipinas has now firmly stamped their mark on the World Championship, transforming from the lowest-ranked team in the tournament to one of its most remarkable jumpers.
