Bahrain make triumphant start

TDT | Manama                                                             

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Two - time defending champions Bahrain made a winning start last night in the ninth Asian Men’s Youth (U19) Handball Championship, being hosted by the Kingdom at the Khalifa Sports City arena in Isa Town. The Bahrainis defeated their counterparts from Uzbekistan 28-21 in their Group A clash. The nationals were in control from the start and never let up in the contest. Bahrain will be looking for their second straight win when they return to action today against continental giants South Korea at 7pm. Also in Group A yesterday, the South Koreans defeated Iran 29- 24. The Koreans held a slim 12- 11 lead at the half but managed to extend their advantage in the final 30 minutes of play.

In Group B, Qatar beat the UAE 36-22. They led 17-11 at the break and continued their strong play in the second half. Mohammad Ebzee was the top performer in the win. Also triumphant were Saudi Arabia, who enjoyed a dominant 44-22 win against Iraq, in a game they led 21-9 at the interval. In the third Group B game, Japan outclassed Kuwait 31-26. The Japanese pulled away in the concluding 30-minute period after both teams were deadlocked heading into the locker rooms at 14-all. In Bahrain’s game last night, the hosts got off on the right foot and boasted a 17-12 advantage at the half. Goalkeeper Ali Ahmed Al Madani was selected as the Bahrainis’ best player. Following the opening round-robin phase, the top two from each group advance directly to the semi-finals, while the remaining teams will play in the classification games.

The Bahrainis are the twotime defending champions in the event, having won the title in the previous two editions held in 2016 and 2018. The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following their game with South Korea tonight, they return to the court on Wednesday against India following a twoday break. The nationals wrap up the preliminaries against Iran on Friday. Bahrain won the 2016 competition, which was also held in the Kingdom, after defeating Japan in the final. South Korea were the bronze-medallists. In the 2018 tournament in Amman, Jordan, the nationals were once again triumphant, defeating Japan in the gold medal game, while Chinese Taipei finished third. Bahrain are tied with Qatar and South Korea with the most wins in the tournament at two apiece.