Asian Men’s Junior Handball Championship:
Iran crushes India to seal quarterfinal berth
Iran secured its place in the quarterfinals of the Asian Men’s Junior Handball Championship with a commanding 63-14 victory over India in Chuzhou, China, on Tuesday.
Iran dominated from the opening whistle, racing to a remarkable 32-6 halftime lead before maintaining its relentless pace after the break to claim its third victory in six Group B matches.
Mohammad Babaladi was named the match’s Most Valuable Player after starring in the one-sided contest.
The victory lifted Iran to seven points, guaranteeing a top-four finish in the group regardless of the results of Wednesday’s final round of group-stage matches.
Iran emerged from one of the tournament’s toughest groups, which also featured two-time defending champion Japan, 2024 runner-up South Korea, five-time champions Kuwait and Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Several of Iran’s rivals fielded naturalized players, making the qualification all the more impressive.
Iran got off to a flying start by defeating Kuwait 29-27 before suffering a narrow 29-28 defeat to South Korea and sharing the spoils with the United Arab Emirates in a 25-25 draw.
Iran then returned to winning ways with a 26-25 victory over Qatar on Sunday but suffered a heartbreaking 28-27 defeat to Japan the following day at the Chuzhou International Handball Hall.
The Iranian side will return to action in the quarterfinals on Friday, with its opponent to be determined after the remaining group-stage matches conclude on Wednesday.
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.