BAHRAIN’S youth team claimed their first ever Asian Youth Handball Championship title when they defeated Japan 25-23 in the final of the tournament’s seventh edition at the Khalifa Sports City Center in Isa Town yesterday.
Bahrain put up a top notch performance to complete a mighty comeback on the way to claiming the historic victory.
Attending the match was first deputy chairman of Supreme Council of Youth and Sports and president of Bahrain Athletics Association, Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) general secretary Abdulrahman Askar and BOC board member and Women’s Sport Committee chairwoman Shaikha Hayat bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa.
Bahrain’s slow start gave Japan the chance to end the first half securing a 12-9 lead.
The second half saw a dramatic comeback for Bahrain, specially after Ahmed Hussain made his first ever appearance in the tournament.
Hussein had not taken part in any game earlier on after he underwent surgery, and even though the player was in pain, he managed to put up top notch performance with his crucial passes.
Along with Hussein in attack, Ahmed Jalal stood as a key member with his swift style of play, scoring wonderful goals.
The key performers did not stop there as Bahrain goalkeeper Qassem Al Shuwaikh’s saves gave the team a positive push to secure the victory.
The last ten minutes saw Bahrain play a strong high defensive line, and concentrated attack as they took the lead for the first time.
Fans
The highlight of the game, however, were the fans who supported the players since the start of the game.
South Korea claimed third place after recording a 29-22 victory against Qatar in the third place playoffs.
The Koreans dominated the Qataris from early minutes finishing the first half with a 16-9 lead.
The first half saw Qatar unable to create enough space for them to attack while lacking in defense against a strong South Korean attack.
South Korea found no difficulty in controlling the tempo of the game with their attacking play.
The team also took great advantage of having an extra player on the field because of Qatar’s continuous fouls that made their players get a two-minute suspension.
In the second half, Qatar managed to step up their performance but the big goal difference was difficult to overcome while South Korea played with no pressure to contain their lead.
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