HANDBALL – Bahrain completed a clean sweep of their preliminary round matches in the 22nd Asian Men’s Handball Championship in Kuwait City yesterday after routing Iraq 34-18 at Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Salim Al Sabah Covered Hall Sports Complex.
The Bahrainis were in a class of their own in the Group B clash, taking control early and never wavering the rest of the way. They claimed their third win in as many outings and thus secured first place on their divisional table.
Goalkeeper Hesham Issa was selected by the Asian Handball Federation (AHF) as the Best Player of the Match. He was awarded a special trophy post-game in honour of his efforts.
With the result, the kingdom’s senior men’s handball national team marched through to the tournament’s main round with an unbeaten record. Despite their defeat, which was their first of the competition so far, the Iraqis also advanced.
Bahrain and Iraq are two of eight teams remaining with a shot at the title. They will play another series of games to determine the semi-finalists.
The Bahrainis, coached by Robert Hedin from Sweden, are set to compete in Group II in the ensuing phase, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow.
The other teams in their division are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and either defending champions Qatar or South Korea.
The final four is then scheduled to be held on Tuesday next week, and with this AHF tournament also acting as the continental qualifier for the 30th IHF Men’s Handball World Championship next year, all four semi-finalists will book their tickets to the worlds.
The gold and bronze medal games are then set for January 29.
Bahrain’s win yesterday followed resounding victories over Jordan and China, both of whom dropped to the event’s consolation bracket and will play for the Martyr Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah Cup.
Also making it to the main round were Japan and hosts Kuwait, who are set to be in Group I alongside the Iraqis and either Qatar or South Korea.
Joining Jordan and China and set to battle for the Martyr Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah Cup are Oman, Hong Kong, Iran, India, and Australia. Their games are also scheduled to begin tomorrow.
The nationals got off to a strong start against Iraq and were ahead 15-8 at the half. They continued to fire on all cylinders over the game’s remaining 30 minutes to secure the lopsided result.
Jassim Khamis finished eight goals to lead the Bahrainis in the contest, where all of the squad’s players – with exception to Issa and fellow-goalkeeper Mohammed Abdulhussain – got onto the scoresheet. Salman Alshowaikh chipped in with four, while Mohammed Habib Nasser, Mohammed Rabea, and Abdulla Abdulkarim scored three apiece. Contributing two goals each were Qassim Qambar, Ali Alasheeri, Sayed Ali Shubbar, and skipper Hussain Al Sayyad, while converting once in the contest were Jaffar Farsan, Ahmed Kadhem, Hassan Madan, Ali Mohammed, and Mohammed Habib Ahmed.
The 30th IHF Men’s Handball World Championship is to be held in Germany from January 13 to 29 in 2027.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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