BAHRAIN were once again unlucky yesterday in their quest to register a victory in the International Handball Federation (IHF) Men’s Junior World Championship in Spain.
Playing their fifth and final game of the preliminary round against Kosovo, the Bahrainis were on the brink of a victory until they conceded an equalising goal in the final half-minute, eventually having to settle for a 29-all draw.
Bahrain had earlier had an opportunity to extend a slim 29-28 lead, but after missing an attempt the Kosovans raced back for a counterattack and Rinor Abdulli was able to score from the left wing with just 23 seconds left on the game clock.
It was a disappointing ending for the nationals in a highly competitive match.
Zero
Both Bahrain and Kosovo end the preliminaries with zero wins from their five games and only the single draw. They had already headed into yesterday’s head-to-head having been eliminated from further contention for a place in the next round.
Leading the Bahrainis in the stalemate were Abdulla Ali and Ahmed Fadhul, who each scored seven goals. Mahmood Mohamed added four, while Ahmed Ali and Hussain Al Najar contributed three apiece. Hasan Ali and Mohamed Mohamed scored two each, while Qasim Qambar rounded out the scorers with one goal.
Direnit Tahirukaj scored six goals to pace Kosovo. Jon Muqolli and Albin Xhafolli both had five, while Avdulli finished with three goals.