Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship:
Iran beats Kuwait, secures last-eight spot
Iran celebrated its second victory in three outings at the Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship in Amman, Jordan, defeating Kuwait 21–18 in Group B on Monday.
Having suffered a narrow 24–22 loss to two-time champion Qatar the previous day, the Iranian boys bounced back in style to beat another traditional powerhouse in Asian handball, securing a runner-up finish in the group and a place in the quarterfinals.
Mohammad-Taha Ebrahim Khanlari led the scoring for Iran with five goals, as the team took a commanding 13–9 lead at halftime. Captain Mahdi Ahmadifar contributed four goals and was named Man of the Match.
Mohsen Hadizadeh, Mohammad Keshavarz, and Farshad Norouzpour also played key roles in the vital victory, each netting three goals.
Iran, which opened its campaign with an impressive 28–20 win over Saudi Arabia—a semifinalist in the previous two editions—will conclude the group phase in a dead rubber against Syria today. Syria sits at the bottom of the five-team group with three losses in as many matches, including a 42–29 rout at the hands of Qatar earlier on Monday.
Iran will next face either host Jordan or Uzbekistan in the knockout phase on Friday.
The battle for third place in Group A will be decided when Jordan and Uzbekistan meet today at Princess Sumaya Hall. Both sides are level on two points, with the hosts holding a slight advantage on goal difference.
Bahrain and South Korea – the most decorated team in the competition with three titles – have already secured a top-two finish in Group A, thanks to a clean sweep of three victories each, ahead of their crucial clash for the top spot today.