Al Najma snatch dramatic late draw against Al Arabi image.jpeg

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Al Najma produced a late surge to secure a 30–30 draw against Qatar’s Al Arabi in their fourth match of the 28th Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship in Kuwait yesterday.

The Bahraini side were forced to dig deep at the Sabah Al Salem venue, salvaging a point in the closing seconds at the Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah Indoor Complex.

The opening half was evenly contested, with both teams trading goals in a high-tempo exchange before Al Najma edged ahead 18–17 at the break.

The pattern continued after the restart, with neither side able to pull clear in a tightly balanced second half.

Al Arabi briefly went ahead 25–24 through Ihor Turchenko in the 42nd minute, before Jassim Khamis restored parity for Al Najma at 25–25.

Sadou Ntanzi then put Al Arabi back in front at 26–25, only for Mahdi Habib to immediately level for Al Najma at 26–26.

The lead continued to swing back and forth: Turchenko made it 27–26, Uros Mitrovic responded at 27–27, and Ntanzi again edged Al Arabi ahead at 28–27 before Mohamed Habib equalised at 28–28.

Al Arabi once more moved in front at 29–28 through Ntanzi, but Hassan Madan drew Al Najma level at 29–29, setting up a tense finish.

With victory within reach, Al Arabi went 30–29 ahead through Abdou Denguir in the 57th minute. However, Al Najma had the final word, as Mitrovic kept his composure to convert his seventh goal from 11 attempts, sealing a dramatic 30–30 draw at the buzzer.

Scoring was well distributed for Al Najma, with Mohamed Ahmed contributing five goals, while Madan, Habib, and Mitrovic all played key roles in the comeback. For Al Arabi, Turchenko top-scored with eight goals, supported by Giorgi Tskhovrebadze with six.

The result keeps Al Najma in contention as the preliminary stage enters its decisive phase. Burgan lead the standings on seven points from five matches, ahead of Al Khaleej, who also have seven points from four games but sit second on goal difference. Al Duhail are third on five points, followed by Kuwait Sporting Club, who also have five points but are fourth on goal difference. Al Najma and Al Arabi are level on three points, placed fifth and sixth respectively on goal difference, while Sharjah Sports Club remain bottom without a point.

Al Najma, the two-time Asian champions (2017 and 2023), now have one win, one draw, and two defeats from four matches. They next face Burgan Club today at 4pm before concluding the preliminary stage against Al Khaleej on Sunday at 8pm.