TDT | Manama
Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Bahrain’s senior men’s national handball team last night took a big step towards realizing their dream of qualifying for a second consecutive Olympic Games. Bahrain secured a dramatic 30-29 victory over Gulf rivals Qatar to advance to the final of the Asian men’s qualifiers, currently being held in Doha.
The Nationals held off a late attack by their opponents and narrowly won, despite influential captain Hussein Al Sayyad being shown a red card and sent off with more than 10 minutes left in the first half. succeeded in getting it.
With 16 seconds remaining, Mohamed Habib Ahmed scored the winning goal with a stunning shot from the penalty line. Star goalkeeper Mohamed Abdulhussein then parried a shot from Frankis Marzo and saved Qatar’s last-ditch attempt to equalize. It was a great ending for Bahrain in a hard-fought battle that could have gone either way.
The national team also lost to Qatar in the gold medal match of the recently concluded Asian Games in Hangzhou, where they had to settle for a silver medal. Bahrain will face either Japan or South Korea in the preliminary final scheduled to be held tomorrow.
The winner of this match will earn a ticket to next year’s Paris Olympics. Japan and South Korea met in yesterday’s other semi-final, which took place late at night. He can only directly compete in one Asian men’s qualifying event.
However, the team that loses tomorrow still has one chance to reach the French capital, where they will compete against other top handball countries from around the world in one of three qualifying tournaments, also to be held in 2024. There is a need to.
Bahrain are aiming to qualify for their second consecutive Olympic Games following their historic debut in Tokyo in 2021. Not only was this the first time the national team was competing in the Olympic men’s handball tournament, it was also the first Olympic appearance for Saudi Arabia. Every team sport in the history of the quadrennial global showcase.
INTENSITY Last night’s intense battle between Bahrain and Qatar gave the nation a boost as a group of Bahraini fans traveled from the kingdom to the Qatari capital to cheer on their team. The Bahrain Olympic Committee arranged for buses to transport the local athletes overland in time for the competition.
Bahrain held a 28-24 lead towards the end of the game, but the home team bravely attacked and scored four goals, culminating in a quick break goal from Ahmed Mahdadi. Bahrain were able to fight back in the ensuing possession, with Hassan Shehab scoring on a break play from the six-metre line.
Qatar tied the game again, this time with Marwane Sassi scoring from the right wing. But this set the stage for Ahmed’s winning penalty and Abdul Hussein’s crucial save. Bahrain got off to a good start early in the match, taking a 5-2 lead with a goal from Ahmed Fadel. The Nationals continued to lead, but then Al Sayyad was given his marching orders and the Nationals entered the interval with a slight advantage of 15-14.
After the restart, Bahrain scored their first goal in the final 30 minutes and maintained a four-goal cushion for most of the second half, leading to a furious final period.