The Iranian national handball team has been held to a draw against Saudi Arabia in Group A of the 16th Asian Senior Men's Handball Championship in Bahrain.On Monday, the Iranian players had a handful of good opportunities during the first ten minutes of the game played at the Khalifa Sports City in Manama, but they missed their chances, and it was the Saudi outfit which took the 7-2 lead.
Irans head coach Rafael Guijosa called for a timeout in order to let Iranian athletes get a breather, gather their thoughts, focus tactically and mentally to prepare for the next sequence of play.
Even though the Iranians did their best to close the scoring gap after the timeout, it was the Saudi squadthat emerged victorious at the end of the first half and finished it at 12-10.
The Iranian handball players started the second half with vigor and valor, and earned a 14-all draw ten minutes into the half.
In the 20th minute of the second half, Iranians edged the Saudi outfit 18-17. However, Saudis could compensate for their fault very soon, and scored the equalizer only a minute later. The match finally ended in a 22-22 draw.
Iran will face China on Wednesday in its third Group A encounter. Iran drew 24-24 with South Korea in its opening match on Saturday.
The 16th Asian Senior Mens Handball Championship opened in the Bahraini capital Manama on January 25, and will wrap up on February 6.
There are 12 teams taking part in the tournament. Group A pits Bahrain against defending champion South Korea, China, Iran, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, while Group B features Japan, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Only the top three finishers will get a place in the 24th edition of the World Men's Handball Championship, which will be held from January 17 to February 1, 2015 in the Persian Gulf kingdom of Qatar. The sports event will bring together 24 teams from five confederations.
By Press TV
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