Warriors Top Group A with Fourth Straight Win
A hard-edged 35-27 win over previously unbeaten South Korea sealed top spot in Group A for Bahrain yesterday and completed a four-from-four preliminary round in Amman.
The result gave Mohamed Soliman’s under-19 side eight points from eight at the 11th Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship, with barely a disturbance in their winning run as South Korea suffered their first defeat.
Bahrain had already built a 15-11 lead by half-time before pressing on after the break to win by eight.
Ahmed Ayad was named Man of the Match after playing a key role in the eight-goal win.
Bahrain had already secured a quarter-final place before the match, but victory over Korea ensured they finished first in the group without dropping a point.
Their run began with a 51-20 win over India, followed by a 41-19 victory against hosts Jordan and a 36-28 win over Uzbekistan.
South Korea had also won their first three matches, beating Uzbekistan and India before coming from behind to defeat Jordan 25-24.
Bahrain will now face Saudi Arabia, who finished fourth in Group B, in Friday’s quarter-final.
A win would send Bahrain into the semi-finals and secure a place at the 2027 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, with the four Asian semi-finalists qualifying for the event.
Bahrain are chasing a third Asian title under Soliman after winning the championship in 2016 and 2018.
Friday now brings Saudi Arabia, a semi-final place, and World Championship qualification.
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