HANDBALL – Bahrain outclassed the UAE 32-20 yesterday to make a winning start in the main round of the 22nd Asian Men’s Handball Championship, currently being played in Kuwait City.
The kingdom’s senior men’s handball national team used a sensational second-half performance to turn a close game into a double-digit victory as they took one step closer to making it through to the semi-finals, while remaining unbeaten so far in the competition.
The Bahrainis and Emiratis are playing in Group Two of this current stage alongside defending champions Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
They are aiming to finish amongst the top two sides at the end of a single round-robin and advance to the final four, which would also earn them a spot in the 30th IHF Men’s Handball World Championship next year.
The Asian Handball Federation (AHF) tournament also acts as a continental qualifier for the worlds, with the leading quartet booking their tickets to international handball’s showpiece event.
In yesterday’s other Group Two fixture, the Qataris defeated their Saudi counterparts 32-25.
Bahrain are back in action today when they take on Qatar at 2pm at Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Salim Al Sabah Covered Hall Sports Complex in Kuwait City.
The nationals then complete their main round schedule against the Saudis on Sunday at 4pm. Both times are Bahrain.
Group One in this phase features South Korea, Japan, Iraq, and hosts Kuwait.
In their win yesterday, the Bahrainis dug themselves out of a quick 0-2 hole with six unanswered goals, sparked by back-to-back conversions from Jassim Khamis.
A Mohammed Habib Nasser strike later gave them a 10-5 lead, and they took a slim 12-10 advantage into the break.
The nationals then went on a game-changing 11-3 run starting the second half to take full control of the contest.
Their rally included five goals without reply, capped by a Qassim Qambar effort that gave them their first double-digit cushion of the game, 23-13.
Three straight makes from Jaffar Farsan, Qambar, and Ali Alasheeri then gave Bahrain their biggest gap of 13, 32-19, with under two minutes to play, before the UAE’s Hamad Abdelqadir pegged the final score.
Nasser and Khamis spearheaded Bahrain with seven goals apiece. Nasser was named the Best Player of the Match and was later presented with a trophy for his efforts post-game.
Qambar, Salman Alshowaikh, and skipper Hussain Al Sayyad chipped in with three goals each, while Ahmed Kadhem, Sayed Ali Shubbar, and Mohammed Habib Ahmed all scored twice for the Bahrainis.
Farsan, Alasheeri, and Abdulla Abdulkarim rounded out the team’s scorers with a goal apiece.
Waleed Rashed paced the Emiratis with five goals, while Mahmoud Radwan contributed four in the loss.
Following the semi-finals, which are scheduled for Tuesday next week, the gold and bronze medal matches are set for Thursday.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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