Najma end tournament on winning note

TDT | Manama

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Bahrain’s Al Najma concluded their 28th Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship campaign on a positive note yesterday, defeating Saudi Arabia’s Al Khaleej 29–23 in their final match in Sabah Al Salem, Kuwait.

Despite the win, the two-time champions had already been eliminated from semi-final contention due to earlier results and ultimately finished fifth in the seven-team standings. The result marked a trophyless season for the club, following their earlier failure to capture the domestic Khalid bin Hamad Handball League title.

Under new head coach Abdulrahman Mohamed, who took charge ahead of the competition, Najma ended their campaign with a record of two wins, one draw, and three defeats.

They closed the preliminary round with five points, level with Kuwait SC but behind on goal difference. Al Khaleej topped the group with nine points, while Burgan Sports Club also finished on nine but placed second on goal difference. Qatar’s Al Duhail took third place with seven points, and Kuwait SC finished fourth, completing the semi-final lineup.

In the lower half of the standings, Qatar’s Al Arabi finished sixth on five points, while UAE’s Sharjah ended bottom of the table with two points.

Against leaders Al Khaleej, Najma produced one of their strongest performances of the tournament. After falling 7–10 behind early, they responded strongly to level at 9–9 before going into half-time ahead 14–12.

In the second half, Najma took control through sharp fastbreaks and disciplined defending, steadily pulling away in the final 20 minutes.

Jasim Khamis led the scoring with seven goals, while Mohamed Habib Mahdi was the standout finisher with eight goals from nine attempts. Saud Aljunaid added five goals, and Mohamed Mahamad contributed three perfect strikes from three attempts to help secure the win. Ali Al Ali also chipped in with one goal.

Al Khaleej, coached by Dimitrios Dimitroulias, were led by Abdullah Sami Al Sadoon with seven goals but struggled to contain Najma’s transition play, as turnovers proved costly.

Today’s semi-finals will see Kuwait’s Burgan SC take on Qatar’s Al Duhail at 5 PM, while Saudi Arabia’s Al Khaleej face Kuwait SC at 7:30pm. The tournament concludes on Wednesday with the gold and bronze medal matches, with the champions earning qualification for the 19th IHF Men’s Handball Club World Championship in Egypt later this year.