China win thriller to sink Cuba in Men's Volleyball Nations League

China staged a dramatic comeback to secure a 3-2 victory over Cuba (20-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-22, 19-17) on the final day of the FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League preliminary phase in Gdansk, Poland, on Sunday.

Outside hitter Wang Bin powered Vital Heynen's side with 26 points, while captain Jiang Chuan added 13. Despite a dominant 31-point performance from Cuba's Marlon Yant, including 29 kills, China held their nerve to complete the turnaround.

Cuba came out strong, racing to a 5-1 lead and taking the first set 25-20, with Yant and Miguel Angel Lopez combining for 12 points. China responded in the second set, pulling ahead 20-17 on Wang's ace. Although Cuba leveled at 21-21, Wang's decisive spike and a successful challenge on the final point secured a 25-23 equalizer.

The momentum swung back to Cuba in the third set as they cruised to a 25-15 win. But China refused to fold, erasing a 9-4 deficit in the fourth set to tie the score at 15-15. Wang Hebin's attack capped a 25-22 win, forcing a tiebreak.

In the final set, Rao Shuhan's blocking and clutch attacks from Jiang Chuan pushed China ahead 4-1. Cuba fought back with Javier Concepcion's late point, but Ji Daoshuai's spike sealed China's 19-17 victory.

Despite the loss, Cuba qualified for the finals with six wins. China finished 17th in the preliminary phase with three victories.

"China did a great job today. They fought for every point, all the time. We didn't push enough to win the game. We need to be better at this as well, as sometimes we don't do enough," Cuba's opposite spiker Jose Masso Alvarez told the official website of the Volleyball Nations League after the game.

Elsewhere on the day, Iran beat Bulgaria in straight sets. Amin Esmaeilnezhad produced 19 points for the winners, while Amirhossein Esfandiar added 14.

In the last game of the week in Gdansk, Poland edged past France 32-30, 20-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12. Wilfredo Leon earned 30 points for the winners, while Theo Faure poured in two points less for France. Both teams have booked their spot in the best eight earlier.

The final round of the Men's Volleyball Nations League will be played in Ningbo, China, from July 30 to August 3.