Bahrain book Asian quarter-final berth
Bahrain secured their place in the quarter-finals of the 11th Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship after overcoming Uzbekistan 36-28 yesterday in Amman, Jordan.
The victory at Princess Sumaya Hall maintained the kingdom’s perfect record in Group A, with the under-19 side now boasting three wins from three following emphatic victories over India and hosts Jordan.
Mohamed Soliman’s side were made to work harder for their latest triumph, however, with Uzbekistan keeping the contest tight throughout the opening half.
Bahrain led by just two goals at 17-15 at the interval before raising their level after the restart, scoring four of the first five goals of the second half to establish a 21-16 advantage.
They continued to gradually pull clear, stretching their lead to eight at 28-20 with 11 minutes remaining before eventually closing out the contest by the same margin.
Mohammed Marzooq spearheaded the attack with a game-high 11 goals from 15 attempts, while Mahdi Ali was flawless in front of goal, converting all six of his attempts.
Sayed Majeed Al Muhafda added four goals, while Ahmed Abdulla, Mahmood Ahmed and Ali Hasan chipped in with three apiece as Bahrain converted 36 of their 51 attempts.
Goalkeeper Ali Mahroos was named Man of the Match after another influential display between the posts, making 11 saves from 36 shots.
With their quarter-final berth now secured, Bahrain turn their attention to Wednesday’s final preliminary-round encounter against South Korea at 4pm Bahrain time, where they will look to seal top spot in Group A.
South Korea are also unbeaten at the time of writing, having won both of their opening matches. They face hosts Jordan today at 6pm before taking on Bahrain in their final group fixture.
This year’s championship also serves as Asia’s qualification event for the 12th IHF Men’s Youth Handball World Championship, which will be held from July 29 to August 9 next year.
With the top four finishers qualifying for the global event, Bahrain are now one knockout victory away from securing their place at the worlds.
Quarter-final action takes place on Friday, with the semi-finals scheduled for the following day and the gold and bronze medal matches bringing the championship to a close on August 31.
Bahrain are making their 10th appearance in the competition and are chasing a third Asian crown under Soliman, having previously lifted the title in 2016 and 2018. They also claimed bronze in 2010.
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