Bahrain keep semi-final hopes alive in Asian youth handball

TDT | Manama                                                             

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain kept their semi-final hopes alive by claiming a dominant 43-26 win over India last night in the ninth Asian Men’s Youth (U19) Handball Championship, being hosted by the Kingdom. The Bahrainis were the aggressors from the opening throw and never let up in claiming their second win in three matches in Group A. Also triumphant yesterday were South Korea in the same division as Bahrain; along with Japan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, all in Group B.

Yesterday’s games were held at the Bahrain Handball Association Arena in Um Al Hassam. In Bahrain’s win, the hosts led 24-14 at the half and did well to close out the contest over the final 30 minutes. Sayed Husain Almuhafdha was selected as the player of the match. Today is a rest day. The Bahrainis round up their preliminary round campaign tomorrow against Iran, with the winner moving on to the final four. In the other Group A contest, South Korea outclassed Uzbekistan 39-21.

The South Koreans had a slim 17-15 advantage at the interval, but were able to more than double their output in the final period for the big win. Seungyong Lee was named the player of the contest. With the result, the South Koreans wrapped up their preliminary round campaign as group winners with their fourth successive win. They are the only team undefeated in their division and are assured of their place in the semi-finals. Uzbekistan suffered their third loss and remained winless, with one game still to play tomorrow against India.

In Group B, Japan claimed their fourth straight win after beating Qatar 31-21. They led 14-11 at the half. Japan’s Kotaro Tachibana was the top performer in the game. The Japanese maintained their undefeated record after four matches, with one game still to play. Saudi followed suit, beating the UAE 37-27 to also remain unbeaten. They led 20-13 at the half, and Ali Moqbqub was named the best player. Kuwait were triumphant, defeating Iraq 35-12.

The victors led 14-4 at the break and enjoyed a high-scoring second half. Goalkeeper Baqer Hadi was named the best player in the match. The Kuwaitis claimed their second win to go with two losses and play Qatar in their last game tomorrow. Iraq were dealt their fourth loss and take on the UAE in their final fixture.