TDT | Manama
Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Bahrain punched its ticket to the men’s handball gold medal match at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China yesterday.
The Nationals defeated Japan 30-28 in a very thrilling semifinal match, earning them a spot in the championship game.
Captain Hussein Al Sayyad was the late hero for Bahrain.
They scored consecutive goals less than two minutes into the game, building a three-point cushion after the Japanese team came within one point.
Bahrain is certain to win a medal in men’s handball and will aim to win their first Asiad gold medal when they face defending champions Qatar in the final scheduled for 2pm Bahrain time tomorrow.
In the other final tournament yesterday, Qatar defeated fellow Gulf nation Kuwait 29-24 to qualify.
Tomorrow’s gold medal showdown will be a rematch of the 2018 Asian Games final, where Bahrain settled for silver.
The bronze medal match will also be held tomorrow at 10am Bahrain time.
This match will mark the final day of handball competitions in Hangzhou.
Bahrain’s national team is aiming for just their third medal in the men’s handball Asiad.
They had won a bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, before finishing runners-up at the last Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
In Bahrain’s win yesterday, the Nationals enjoyed an impressive first half, leading 17-13 going into the second half.
However, in the final 30 minutes, Japan became the attacking force and gradually narrowed Bahrain’s lead.
Naoki Sugioka’s steal and goal brought the deficit to one point, 23-24, with just over 10 minutes left, and Japan continued to threaten and stay within striking distance for the remainder of regulation time.
Conversions by Yuto Higashie, Mahdi Saad, and Shin Demoto made it 28-27, and Bahrain held on to its slim one-point advantage with less than three minutes remaining.
But that was the stage for al-Sayyad’s heroic deeds. He scored his next two goals from near the 9-meter line and into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Sugioka missed a penalty just before the end of regulation and scored the winning goal.
Al Sayyad was the top scorer for the victors with nine goals, while Mohamed Habib Ahmed added six goals and Mohamed Habib Nasser added five.
Ahmed Fadel had 4 makes, Ali Mirza had 3 and Mahdi Saad had 2.
Mohamed Mirza rounded out Bahrain’s scorers with one goal. Star goalkeeper Mohamed Abdul Hussein also played a key role in the victory.
He finished with an impressive 16 saves. For the Japanese team, Izumimoto scored six goals and Adam Yuki Baig scored five goals.
Bahrain’s Hussein Al Sayad (front), Mohamed Habib Nasser (right), and Mohamed Habib Ahmed (back) celebrating the end of yesterday’s match against Japan.
