Handball – Brazil held off a battling Bahrain 25-24 in the dying seconds of the match to seal their maiden win in the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Granollers, Spain last night.
It was a crucial win for Brazil, who lost to Slovenia 26-27 in the opening match, which extends their hopes for a Paris 2024 Olympic Games ticket.
Bahrain did push from the start, feeling that there is a pressure which can be added on Brazil’s shoulders, especially with some key players inserted into the squad adding more depth and experience from the loss against Spain.
Not only did Brazil never take the lead in the first half, they looked disjointed and without a proper gameplan, as the loss against Slovenia really took the wind out of their sails. Bahrain goalkeeper Mohamed Hussain Abdulla Ali had an excellent outing, with a 33 per cent saving efficiency, while backs Mohamed Ahmed and Husain Alsayyad combined for eight goals in the first half, to usher the Asian side in front.
While coach Marcus Tata Oliveira constantly changed his squad, altering his line-up one time too many, Brazil did not find the proper rhythm and were down three goals by the 20th minute, as their shooting efficiency fell under 50pc, never a good sign in such a well-balanced match.
But with goalkeeper Mateus Cristian Martins Nascimento making some key one-on-one saves, Bahrain had a 14-11 lead at the break, fast cut to a single goal, thanks to a 2-0 run to start the second half by Brazil, with goals from backs Gustavo Rodrigues and Leonardo Dutra.
Yet when Brazil started using a more aggressive 4-2 defence, this is when things started to change and the difference became more compressed. However, three one-on-one situations in key moments, when Brazil could have tied the score, went missing, as Ali was immense between Bahrain’s posts, to keep his team ahead.
As a team with a penchant for close matches, Brazil were down one goal, 20-21, with 10 minutes to go, as Bahrain started to falter more and more. Nevertheless, Ahmed and Alsayyad still delivered, being the fulcrum of their team’s attack, but could not prevent a 4-1 Brazil run, which helped the South American side take their first lead of the match, 22-21, with six minutes to go.
Eventually, through their experience and strong defence, Brazil stood their ground, stopped Bahrain and clinched a 25-24 win, with the decisive goal being scored on a fast break by wing Rudolph Hackbarth, with 30 seconds to go.
Brazil are now on two points, before they face Spain in the last match, while Bahrain are on zero points and their chances are now only virtual as they face Slovenia in the last match in Granollers tomorrow.