Bahrainis bow to Spain in youth handball worlds

TDT | Manama                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s youth national handball team were dealt an 18-29 loss by their counterparts from Spain last night in the 10th IHF Men’s Youth Handball World Championship, currently being held in Croatia.

The nationals suffered their first setback of the competition after opening with a 32-28 victory over South Korea on Wednesday in Group D. The Koreans were in action against Brazil late last night.

The Bahrainis will need to win their final fixture against the Brazilians in this preliminary round to have a shot at advancing to the main stage. That game is scheduled for tomorrow following a rest day today.

It is scheduled for a 6.30pm throw-off, Bahrain time. Only the top two teams from each of the eight groups march through to continue title contention. The others will drop to the lower-tier bracket and play for the President’s Cup.

In Bahrain’s loss yesterday, they fell behind by double digits in the first half but cut the deficit to 8-15 at the interval. The nationals tried valiantly to stay within striking distance over the concluding 30 minutes, but had to settle for the 11-goal defeat.

Abdulla Mohammed finished as their top scorer with four conversions, while Ali Kadhem and Ali Mohamed contributed three apiece. Ali Elias was on target twice in the loss, while Jaffar Farsan, Ahmed Fardan, Shauib Abdulla, Mohamed Ali, Salman Alshowaikh and Sayed Mahmood Alfalahi each contributed a goal.

Victor Romero Holguin was the Spaniards’ leading scorer with six goals. Goalkeeper Alvaro Perez Mendez was later named the Player of the Match. He was presented a prize after the final buzzer by Bahrain Handball Association president Ali Issa. The Bahrainis are coached by Icelandic tactician Maksim Akbachev.

This year’s youth handball worlds is its first edition to feature a 32-team field. It is the fifth time Bahrain’s flag is being flown at the event. The Bahrainis also played in the 2007, 2011, 2017 and 2019 editions. Their best finish was eighth in 2007, when the competition took place in Bahrain.