Najma, Ahli draw first blood in handball semis

TDT | Manama                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Al Najma and Al Ahli drew first blood yesterday in their respective Golden Square semi-final series in the 2022/2023 Khalid bin Hamad Bahrain Handball League.

Defending champions Najma won game one against Al Ettifaq 30-28, while Ahli edged past a battling Al Shabab 30-29 after a thrilling penalty shootout.

In Najma’s win, they led 18-15 at the half and then managed to stave off Ettifaq’s advances to eke out the victory. Ahli, meanwhile, needed to go past the maximum to claim their win.

With the game tied at 21-apiece late in the second half, Shabab scored four straight to go ahead 25-21, but Ahli roared back before the final buzzer and got back to within 25-26.

Sadeq Ali then converted a penalty with less than 10 seconds to go to forge a 26-all deadlock and send the match straight into penalties.

There, Shabab had the early advantage but then key misses allowed Ahli to go ahead, with Ali Mirza scoring their last throw and Shabab missing their ensuing attempt to close out the contest.

Last night’s first games of both league’s semi-finals were rescheduled by the Bahrain Handball Association.

They were originally set to take place on separate evenings.

Game two of Najma’s series with Ettifaq is scheduled for Monday, and game three, if needed, will be on Friday next week.

For Shabab and Ahli, game two will be played Sunday and the decisive third game, if needed, on Thursday next week.