S Korea, Kuwait triumph in handball

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

South Korea and Kuwait were both victorious last night in their second Group A matches of the 17th Asian Men’s Junior Handball Championship, being hosted by Bahrain at the Khalifa Sports City arena in Isa Town.

The South Koreans defeated their counterparts from Iran 32-27, while the Kuwaitis outclassed Gulf rivals Saudi Arabia 30-26. Both wins were the first for both sides in the competition after beginning the preliminary round with a draw against one another.

They both stayed in contention for a place in the tournament’s semi-finals. The group’s final play date is tomorrow and it will determine their final ranking on their division table as well as the two teams that will advance to the last four. South Korea take on Saudi at 4pm followed by Kuwait facing Iran at 6.30pm. Both fixtures are to take place at the same venue. Saudi are also vying for a semis berth while Iran have been eliminated from further title contention.

Close out

In the South Koreans’ win yesterday, they led 16-10 at the half and stepped things up in the final 30 minutes to close out the result. They led by as many as eight goals after the interval en route to holding on for the final winning margin.

Juseung Lee was their top scorer in the contest, finishing with six goals. Taegwan Kim added five, while three players scored four goals apiece, including Hyesung Cha, Uichan La and Ho Seung Yang. South Korea’s Daehyeon Kim, who finished with three goals along with Jaewoo Song, was named the Best Player of the Match and he was presented with an award post-game.

Saeid Ali Akbari paced Iran in the loss with seven goals, while Saber Heidari Ramsheh added six. Meanwhile, the Kuwaitis and Saudis were tied at 17-apiece at the half in a hotly contested affair. Kuwait, however, were able to break a 24-all deadlock and final pull away in the end for the all-important win. Saif Aladwani had a spectacular performance for the winners in the contest, spearheading his side with an impressive 14 goals, earning him the Best Player of the Match award.

Fawaz Almashari chipped in with six goals while Abdulrahman Alshammari had four. For Saudi, Ahmed Alabdullah scored nine goals while Murtaja Alkhedhrawi finished with six in a losing effort. Today, the final games in Group B are set to take place. India and Pakistan are scheduled to face off at 4pm, followed by Bahrain and Japan clashing at 6.30pm. Both the Bahrainis and Japanese have already qualified for the semi-finals. This evening’s affair will determine who go through as Group B winners.