BAHRAIN used a dominant second half to overcome a sluggish start in a 30-24 victory over Iraq yesterday in their opening Group ‘D’ game of the men’s handball tournament at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia.
After a sloppy first period which ended with the Iraqis holding a surprise 16-12 lead, the Bahrainis regrouped and came alive in the final 30 minutes of play. They came out red hot and quickly scored five successive goals to take a 17-16 lead with only five minutes elapsed.
They did well to hold on to their lead throughout the remainder of the contest, eventually pulling away from their rivals and building a comfortable margin with an 8-3 rally over the final 12 minutes of action.
In yesterday’s other Group ‘D’ clash, Chinese Taipei beat India 38-28. The result put Chinese Taipei in first place on the division standings after one game.
Bahrain, coached by former player and Iceland national team tactician Aron Kristjansson, next play India tomorrow at 4pm, Bahrain time, while Chinese Taipei and Iraq battle.
In the Bahrainis’ victory over their Iraqi counterparts, Husain Al Sayyad and Hasan Alsamahiji scored five goals apiece, while Mohamed Ahmed contributed four.
Bilal Askani and Mahmood Abdulqadesr finished with three goals each and Komail Mahfoodh, Ali Merza, Ali Salman and Hasan Al Fardan all found the net twice. Rounding out Bahrain’s scorers were Husain Mohamed and Hasan Madan with a goal apiece.
Pacing the Iraqis in the game was Baderaldeen Naser with five goals. Hussein Ibadi and Maytham Al Behadili contributed four goals each in the defeat.
Following the game, Bahrain goalkeeper Mohamed Abdulhussain, who made nine saves, said that they were satisfied with their performance against Iraq, and that they had expected the poor start as it was just their first outing together and they needed some time to gel.
Praised
Abdulhussain praised his teammates for the way they responded in the second half, and added that they achieved their most important win of the first round. He fully expects them to continue their fine form into their remaining games.
There are three other groups in the preliminary stage. Group ‘A’ features 2014 Asian Games gold-medallists Qatar, Iran and Malaysia. Group ‘B’ includes 2014 silver-medallists and 2010 gold-medallists South Korea, Japan and Pakistan; while Group ‘C’ comprises hosts Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong.
The top two teams from each group at the end of a single round-robin move on to the Main Round, while the rest will play in the Classification phase.
The eight-nation Main Round will consist of two groups of four. At the end of another single round-robin, the top two squads from each division move on to the knockout semi-finals, which are scheduled to take place on August 27. The final and bronze medal game will be held on August 31.
Handball is one of four team sports that begin their competitions before the Asian Games opening ceremony on Saturday. The others are basketball, football and water polo.