HANDBALL – Brilliant Bahrain punched their ticket last night to the gold medal game of the 22nd Asian Men’s Handball Championship, currently being held in Kuwait City.
The kingdom’s senior men’s handball national team put on a class performance for a resounding 35-25 semi-final victory over continental powerhouses Japan at Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Salim Al Sabah Covered Hall Sports Complex in the Kuwaiti capital.
The Bahrainis will now be looking to make history when they go for their first-ever tournament title against defending champions Qatar in a mouth-watering final, which will be played tomorrow at 6pm, Bahrain time, at the same venue.
The Japanese will face off with Kuwait for the bronze medals at 4pm, also Bahrain.
The Qataris edged past the host Kuwaitis 27-26 in yesterday’s other clash in the last four.
The nationals have claimed the silver medals five times in the past but will be looking to add an historic gold this time around. The kingdom’s handball stars were runners-up in 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018, and in 2022. Bahrain were also bronze medal winners in 1995 and in the championship’s previous edition in 2024.
Qatar, on the other hand, have dominated the biennial tournament over the past decade, winning the crown the past six editions, from 2014 up until 2024. Four of the Bahrainis’ silver medal finishes have come against the Qataris.
By playing in yesterday’s semis, Bahrain, Qatar, Japan, and Kuwait had already punched their tickets to the 30th IHF Men’s Handball World Championship next year.
The Asian Handball Federation (AHF) competition also acts as a continental qualifier for the worlds, with the leading quartet booking their tickets to international handball’s showpiece event.
In the Bahrainis’ win last night, they banked on a dominant second-half performance to turn a close game wide open.
The Bahrainis led from the opening throw and a goal by Jassim Khamis right before the half put them up 17-14 heading into the locker rooms.
The nationals then came roaring out of the break, firing in seven unanswered goals, sparked by a Hussain Al Sayyad conversion, that made it 25-15 and which gave them a double-digit lead for the first time in the contest.
Bahrain never looked back from there, and despite Japan’s best efforts to stage a comeback, the kingdom’s side stood firm each time en route to the final buzzer.
Khamis and Mohammed Habib Nasser – two of Bahrain’s most talented young players – finished as the team’s leading scorers. Khamis had an impressive 10 goals, while Nasser chipped in with eight.
Mohammed Rabia, Hassan Madan, and Mohammed Habib Ahmed scored three apiece, while Al Sayyad, Qassim Qambar, and Ali Mohammed contributed two goals each. Salman Al Showaikh and Ahmed Kadhem rounded out Bahrain’s scorers with a goal apiece.
Jin Watanabe had seven goals to lead the Japanese, while Kota Nakata had four.
Following yesterday’s match, Bahrain’s veteran star goalkeeper Mohammed Abdulhussain was named the Best Player of the Match. He was presented with a trophy post-game by the AHF.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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