Bahrain fall short against Egypt in U21 World Championship

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s struggles continued at the IHF Men’s U21 World Championship in Poland yesterday, falling 28–19 to a well-drilled Egypt side in Kielce. The result, Bahrain’s second defeat in as many games, leaves them without a point heading into their final group fixture against Saudi Arabia.

Another slow start proves costly

Coming off a bruising 40–19 loss to Spain in the opener, Bahrain approached this match with greater structure and defensive intent. But Egypt’s cohesion and physical presence quickly tilted the game in their favour. Bahrain briefly kept within reach in the first half, but Egypt’s control of the tempo and cleaner execution in both phases of play allowed them to steadily build a lead.

The North Africans moved the ball well through their backcourt and punished turnovers in transition. Bahrain, meanwhile, found chances difficult to come by, with Egypt’s defence closing space and forcing long-range efforts. Despite periods of effort and urgency, Bahrain simply lacked the consistency to mount a sustained challenge.

All eyes on Saturday

With two losses from two, Bahrain now turn their attention to a crucial third group stage match against Saudi Arabia on Saturday (12:45pm Bahrain time). It’s a fixture that carries added weight—not only because of regional rivalry, but because a loss would confirm Bahrain’s drop into the President’s Cup bracket, which ranks teams from 17th to 32nd place.

For Ali Al Falahi’s team, it’s an opportunity to salvage momentum and potentially end the group phase on a positive note. The likes of Ali Redha and Mohammed Ayyad have shown flashes of attacking potential, while Elyas Mohammed and Sayed Mahmood Ali continue to put in work across both ends of the court. But Bahrain will need more from its supporting cast if they are to shift the narrative.