HANDBALL – BAHRAIN outclassed Jordan 32-21 yesterday to make a rousing start to their title bid in the 22nd Asian Men’s Handball Championship, currently taking place in Kuwait City.
The kingdom’s senior men’s national team were a force from the opening throw at Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Salim Al Sabah Covered Hall Sports Complex. They took a quick 6-1 lead and never looked back, going ahead by double digits with just over five minutes to play en route to securing their victory with the biggest margin of the evening.
Salman Alshowaikh fired in six goals to pace the Bahrainis in the game, in which they led 17-10 at the half. Alshwoaikh was later named Best Player of the Match and he received a trophy for his efforts after the final buzzer.
Veteran Mohammed Habib Ahmed added five goals for the nationals, while Qassim Qambar had four, Ali Alasheeri and Mohammed Habib Nasser three apiece, and Ahmed Kadhem and Hasan Madan two goals each.
Completing Bahrain’s scorers were Jaafar Farsan, Mohammed Rabea, Sayed Ali Basem, Abdulla Abdulkarim, Ali Mohammed, Jassim Khamis, and inspirational skipper Hussain Al Sayyad, who all contributed a goal.
Khaled Abu Hassan was Jordan’s top scorer with seven goals, while Ahmed Mansi scored four.
The Asian Handball Federation (AHF) tournament is scheduled to continue until January 29 in the Kuwaiti capital. It also acts as the continental qualifier for the 30th IHF Men’s Handball World Championship, to be held in Germany from January 13 to 29 in 2027.
The kingdom’s representatives, coached by Robert Hedin from Sweden, are back in action in Group B tomorrow when they take on China at 6pm. They then complete the opening round against Iraq next Tuesday at 4pm. Both times are Bahrain.
The Bahrainis – gold medal winners from last year’s sixth Islamic Solidarity Games – are one of 15 nations taking part in the AHF tournament.
Elsewhere in this opening stage, Group A features defending champions Qatar, South Korea, and Oman; Group C is composed of the UAE, Hong Kong, India, and hosts Kuwait; and Group D comprises Iran, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Japan, who were the silver medallists from the previous edition.
Following this single round-robin, the top two teams from each group move on to the main round, where they will be divided into two further groups. After another round, the semi-finalists will be determined, who will clash on January 27. All four teams in this stage will also book their berths in the worlds in 2027. The gold and bronze medal games are then set for January 29.
The teams who do not qualify for the main stage will compete in the consolation bracket for the Martyr Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah Cup.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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