Bahrain And Qatar Meet Again
TDT | Manama
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Warriors see off Japan to keep Asiad gold dream alive
Bahrain are one victory away from Asian Games handball glory after beating hosts Japan 35-31 in the semi-finals of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya yesterday.
The Warriors pulled away after a 16-16 first half at ENTRIO to reach the gold-medal match for a third successive Games, where a familiar opponent awaits.
Qatar, who defeated South Korea 32-30 in the other semi-final, will face Bahrain at 1.30pm today in a repeat of the 2018 and 2022 finals. The Qataris won both of those encounters, leaving the kingdom with successive silver medals.
Little separated Bahrain and Japan during the opening half yesterday. The Japanese established the first meaningful advantage at 9-6, but Robert Hedin’s side gradually worked their way back before captain Hussain Al Sayyad levelled at 11-11.
Successive goals from Mohamed Habib Naser later put the Reds ahead for the first time at 14-13. Jasim Khamis and Ahmed Fadhul stretched the margin to two, only for the hosts to respond before the break.
The contest remained tight early in the second half until the Bahrainis made their move, turning a 21-21 deadlock into a 24-21 lead between the 39th and 43rd minutes. Ahmed Kadhem struck from the left wing, Naser followed with a breakthrough and Khamis scored from six metres to complete the three-goal burst.
Bahrain never relinquished the lead from there and had stretched the gap to 32-27 by the 53rd minute. Al Sayyad later struck twice before Naser rounded off the scoring in the closing seconds.
Naser led the way with eight goals from nine attempts, while Hasan Madan converted all seven of his shots. Khamis, Fadhul and Al Sayyad contributed five apiece as the team finished with 35 goals from 44 attempts.
One More Step
The victory extended their perfect run at the Games to six matches.
Hedin’s charges topped Group B with wins over Kazakhstan, Iran, South Korea and Kuwait before dispatching Hong Kong in the quarter-finals and overcoming Japan in the last four.
Their first Asian Games final against Qatar came at Jakarta-Palembang 2018, when the sides could not be separated in regulation before Qatar pulled away in extra time for a 32-27 victory.
They crossed paths at the same stage again at Hangzhou 2022, held in 2023, with Qatar winning 32-25 as Bahrain settled for silver once more.
Those two medals followed a bronze at Incheon 2014, leaving gold as the only colour missing from Bahrain’s Asian Games handball collection.
The latest opportunity comes after a run of major titles under Swedish coach Hedin. The squad won Islamic Solidarity Games gold in Riyadh last November before claiming their maiden Asian Men’s Handball Championship crown in Kuwait in January.
That breakthrough came with a 29-26 extra-time victory over Qatar in the final, ending their rivals’ run of six successive Asian titles and providing another reminder of how closely fought the rivalry between the two sides has become.
Bahrain then added GCC Games gold in Doha last May and will be hoping to crown a golden generation with another major triumph this afternoon.
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