Asian Men’s Junior Handball Championship:
Iran undone 28-27 by holders Japan
Iran suffered a heartbreaking 28-27 defeat against two-time defending champions Japan at the Asian Men’s Junior Handball Championship in Chuzhou, China, on Monday.
The closely contested Group B clash was evenly balanced throughout, with the teams locked at 14-14 at halftime after an intense opening period. Neither side was able to establish a decisive advantage after the break, and Iran stayed within touching distance until the closing moments. However, Japan edged the encounter by a single goal to maintain its winning run, while Iran was left to rue a missed opportunity to take points from one of Asia’s traditional powerhouses.
The result saw Japan leapfrog Iran into third place in the group standings with five points, thanks to a superior goal difference.
Iran will still hope to secure a top-four finish and a quarterfinal berth in a daunting group that also features Kuwait and Qatar - the two most decorated teams in the competition’s history - as well as South Korea, the runner-up in the previous edition. Iran will conclude the preliminary phase against bottom side India at the Chuzhou International Handball Hall today.
Iran began its campaign with an impressive 29-27 victory over five-time champions Kuwait, but suffered a 29-28 defeat to South Korea before sharing the spoils with the UAE in a 25-25 draw on Friday. Iran then returned to winning ways with a 26-25 victory over Qatar on Sunday.
Iran finished fifth in the 2024 edition, while its best-ever result came in 2008, when it claimed the silver medal after losing to Kuwait in the final.
The championship also serves as Asia’s qualifier for the 2027 IHF Men’s Junior (U21) World Championship in North Macedonia, with the four semifinalists securing places at the global showpiece.