Asian Handball Championship:
Iran falls short against South Korea, to face Japan in main-round opener
The final round of the preliminary phase in the Asian Men’s Handball Championship in Bahrain saw Iran suffer a 26-24 defeat against South Korea in Group B.
Having come out victorious against New Zealand (40-13) and China (24-22) earlier in the competition, Majid Rahimizadeh’s men started right on the front foot against the record nine-time champion and took a 13-10 lead at halftime before Kim Yeonbin, who finished on a game-high nine goals, inspired the South Koreans to bounce back in the second period and go through to the last eight as the group winner.
“That was a really tough game as both sides desperately wanted to win the group,” Rahimizadeh said after the game, adding: “We were in front for the best part of the contest and could have won it. The result would have been different, had we not missed on four one-on-one occasions when leading by two.”
Jang Dong-hyun also contributed with five goals for South Korea, while Pouya Norouzinejad topped the scoring chart for Iran with seven goals, followed by Afshin Sadeqi, who had four.
The second-place finish sent Iran into Group I of the main round – alongside Japan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq are in Group II, with Saudi Arabia, which stood third in the 2022 edition on home soil, battling for the 9-16 spots after finishing behind Japan and Iraq in Group C.
Iran will face Japan in Isa Town’s Sheikh Khalifa Sports City Hall today – in a repeat of last October’s game in the Asian qualification tournament for the Paris Olympics.
Japan beat Iran 25-20 before going all the way to come out on top against host Qatar in the final and punch the ticket for the French capital in July and August.
“Japan has improved massively over the past couple of years and will enter the game fresh from October’s victory, but I still believe we are capable on beating them [on Thursday],” added Rahimizadeh, who replaced Montenegrin Veselin Vujović following a group exit in the Asian qualifiers.
Looking to improve on the fourth place in the previous edition, Iran will play four-time winner Qatar on Friday, before squaring off against the UAE two days later.
The top two of the main-round groups will advance to the semifinals, securing a place in next year’s World Championship – cohosted by Croatia, Denmark, and Norway.