Saudi Arabia beat Iran in Asian Junior Championship opener

MANAMA: The Saudi Arabian U-21 team has opened its campaign in the 17th Asian Men’s Junior Handball Championship in Manama, Bahrain with a 32-28 win over Iran in Group A.

The tournament is also a qualifying competition for the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship in Germany and Greece.

The Saudi team now tops Group A with two points, with Kuwait and South Korea on one point each after playing out a 26-26 draw. Iran are bottom of the table.

The Falcons fell 3-0 behind after only four minutes but managed to turn the first half around to lead 14-13 at the break despite the sending off of Ahmed Al-Abdullah.

In the second half the Saudi team, led by man of the match Ali Al-Mohsen, continued to dominate and sealed the match with a four-goal margin.