Bahrain eye Asian junior handball bronze
Bahrain's junior men's handball national team will be aiming to finish their continental campaign on a high when they take on Saudi Arabia in the bronze medal match of the 19th Asian Men's Junior Handball Championship today in Chuzhou, China.
The match is scheduled for an 11am start, Bahrain time, with the tournament final between South Korea and the UAE to follow at 1pm.
Bahrain will be looking to claim the competition's bronze medals for the third time in their history after previously finishing third in 2018 and at the last edition in 2024.
Today's encounter is also a repeat of the previous championship's bronze medal match in Amman, Jordan, where Bahrain defeated Saudi Arabia 28-25 to secure a place on the podium.
The kingdom's hopes of reaching the final ended following a narrow 32-31 defeat to South Korea in a thrilling semi-final.
Despite never leading, Bahrain remained within striking distance throughout before launching a late comeback. Goals from Ahmed Eid and Salman Alshowaikh cut the deficit in the closing moments, but South Korea held on to book their place in the title-decider.
Saudi Arabia also suffered heartbreak in the other semi-final after falling 31-30 to the UAE in another closely fought contest.
Although both sides missed out on the final, they had already secured qualification for next year's 26th IHF Men's U21 Handball World Championship in North Macedonia by reaching the semi-finals.
Elsewhere today, Chinese Taipei will take on Kuwait in the fifth-place play-off, while Iran face hosts China in the match for seventh place.
Coached by veteran Bahraini tactician Hussam Madan, Bahrain will now be hoping to end the tournament with another podium finish and continue their strong recent record at the continental championship.
Abbas Ali is expected to spearhead Bahrain's attack after finishing as the team's leading scorer with seven goals against South Korea. Ahmed Eid and Mohammed Aadam each added six goals in the semi-final, while Salman Alshowaikh contributed four.
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