Kuwait drop out of Asian Handball Ch'ship after South Korea defeat

KUWAIT, Jan 21 (KUNA) -- Kuwait succumbed to a 34-27 defeat by South Korea in the AHF Asian Men's Handball Championship, as the hosts dropped out of the tournament after their second main round loss.
South Korea dominated proceedings throughout much of the game held at Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Hall Complex, ending the first half with a five-point lead.
The result comes on the back of an earlier 24-28 Group B defeat by Iran yesterday, in spite of the hosts clinching a first-place finish in the preliminary round after three wins from three fixtures.
Elsewhere, Qatar triumphed again, denying Iran their second win in the group.
Japan, in turn, secured a second win in Group A, edging Bahrain to 25-23 defeat.
They sit atop the group, with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates each trailing with one point apiece followed by Saudi Arabia, who also drop out of the competition having not won a game up to this point.
Only the first and second-placed sides in the dual group stage will make it to the 2021 IHF World Championship, due to be held in Egypt. (end) fr.sd