Asian Men’s Handball Championship:
Iran on consolation course after second Aussies thrashing
Iran remained on course for a consolation ninth-place finish in the Asian Men’s Handball Championship after hammering Australia 37-17 in Da’iya, Kuwait, on Friday.
A second rout of Australia in the competition lifted Iran to the top spot in Group IV of the Martyr Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Cup – where seven teams fight for 9th-15th places – drawing level on four points with China ahead of the meeting between the two sides at the Kuwait Handball Association Hall today.
Mehran Rahnama scored a game-high eight goals for Iran, with Alireza Dadvand adding seven, while Taha Shokouhipour, Reza Ezzati, and Omid Enayatjoo chipped in four apiece. Timothy Anderson and Alex Verdier each scored five to top the scoring for the Aussies.
Iran opened the tournament with a 24-22 loss to four-time bronze medalist Saudi Arabia in Group D of the preliminary round but rebounded to thrash Australia 39-13 in its second outing in the 22nd edition of the event.
A draw against Japan in its final preliminary game would have been enough for Iran to secure a main-round spot. However, Spanish head coach Rafael Guijosa’s men relinquished a five-goal lead in the second half, with Daisuke Tanaka’s winner at the death sealing a 30-29 victory for the two-time champion, which finished runner-up to Saudi Arabia in the group.
Iran still managed to recover to beat India 39-16 in its Group IV opener on Thursday.
Elsewhere, South Korea defeated Iraq 35-30 to sit atop the main-round Group I table with three points, leading on goal difference over Japan, which edged out the host country 28-27 earlier on Friday.
In Group II, Bahrain defeated defending champion Qatar 31-28 to sit atop the table ahead of today’s crunch encounter against Saudi Arabia, which is second on two points after beating the United Arab Emirates 33-19.
The flagship continental event also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 World Championship in Germany, with the four semifinalists securing berths.