Bahrain push Serbia close in spirited showing
Bahrain put in their strongest performance yet at the 2025 IHF Men's Junior World Championship but lost to Serbia 36–32 in their final group game of the President's Cup in Poland.
With both teams out of contention for the main round, Serbia were eyeing a clean sweep in the group to book a spot in the 17–20 placement matches. Bahrain, however, had other plans. After a disappointing showing against Tunisia earlier in the week, the Asian side came out with renewed intensity.
Early Fightback Not Enough
Serbia's experience showed in the opening minutes, but Bahrain responded with a 5:1 run to take an early 8–6 lead. However, they couldn't hold it. Serbia's 6:1 surge swung momentum back their way as they built a 21–15 cushion by halftime—the biggest lead of the match.
Vukašin Antonijevic and Radan Kovacevic combined for 14 goals for Serbia, but Bahrain refused to fade.
Abdulla Stands Out
Mohamed Abdulla, later named Player of the Match, led Bahrain's charge with nine goals, supported by Elias Ali's 10. A 6:1 Bahrain run midway through the second half brought them within two goals at 27–25, setting up a tense final quarter-hour.
But Serbia's depth told in the end, as they held firm to secure a four-goal victory and top the group.
Elsewhere in President's Cup
In the other group match, Tunisia beat Saudi Arabia 35–31 to seal second place and move on to the 21–24 placement bracket.
After trailing early, Tunisia's superior shooting accuracy—84% up to the 53rd minute— proved decisive. Iskander Jafali led the scoring, while Koussay Ben Fraj earned Player of the Match honours.
Saudi Arabia, still winless, will now head to the 25–28 placement matches.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
2 days ago
- Daily Tribune
Man City crush Juventus, Vinicius shines as Real Madrid advance
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City demonstrated their Club World Cup credentials with a 5-2 victory over Juventus on Thursday while Vinicius Junior starred as Real Madrid beat Salzburg 3-0 to secure a spot in the last 16. Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia beat Pachuca of Mexico 2-0 to pip Salzburg to the last berth in the knockout phase, as Al Ain battled to a 2-1 win over Wydad Casablanca in the day's o t h e r game. City became the only side at the tournament to win all three of their group matches as they put Juventus to the sword in front of 54,320 at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando. City now face Al Hilal, the only Asian repre - sentative in the next round after goals from Salem Al-Dawsari and Brazilian Marcos Leonardo against Pachuca. 'We played well and I'm happy with the victory,' said City winger Jeremy Doku, who opened the scoring. Doku pounced for the early opener after new arrival Rayan Ait Nouri set him up with a clever ball. However City stopper Ederson passed the ball straight to Teun Koopmeiners who levelled for Juventus, in one of the few moments in which Guardiola's team let their focus slip. Pierre Kalulu bundled into his own net from Matheus Nunes' cross to restore City's lead. The Premier League side, hoping to make up for a poor season by their standards in which they finished without a major trophy, stepped up a level after the break with Erling Haaland's introduction. The Norwegian striker tapped home the third and then helped create the fourth for Phil Foden, before Savinho smashed home from distance for the fifth. Dusan Vlahovic netted late on for Juve but it did not take the shine off an impressive triumph for City, who were able to give holding midfielder Rodri a first start after his long injury lay-off. 'Manchester City have a lot better (quality of ) players than us, that's the truth, that needs to be acknowledged,' said Juventus coach Igor Tudor as his side finished second in Group G. 'The stars didn't align for us to play better tonight.' Al Ain got the better of Wydad in Washington, DC in a meeting of two teams who were already eliminated but were hoping to sign off with a victory. South African striker Cassius Mailula blasted the Moroccans into an early lead but Togo international Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba levelled from the spot just before the break for Al Ain. That was their first goal of the tournament after 5-0 and 6-0 thrashings by Juve and City respectively, and Paraguayan international Alejandro Romero curled home from the edge of the box to earn the team from the United Arab Emirates victory. Vinicius stars in Madrid win Vinicius scored one goal and made another with a touch of class as Madrid saw off Salzburg in Philadelphia to clinch top spot in Group H. Real play Juventus in the last 16 in Miami on Tuesday. The Brazil star Vinicius opened the scoring after a superb defence-splitting pass by Jude Bellingham on 40 minutes, to the delight of the vast majority of the 64,811 crowd on a rainy night at Lincoln Financial Field. Vinicius then set up Federico Valverde with a clever backheel to make it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time. Young striker Gonzalo Garcia ran through to wrap up the win late on with his second goal of the tournament, as Xabi Alonso's team end the first round of FIFA's new tournament unbeaten. 'I am pleased with the boys, and now the interesting phase begins,' Alonso told broadcaster DAZN. Real were once again without top scorer Kylian Mbappe, who has yet to play at the tournament as he recovers from illness. 'We thought Kylian would make it and it wasn't to be. Now we have four days and I want to be optimistic but cautious at the same time,' Alonso said.
Daily Tribune
5 days ago
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain push Serbia close in spirited showing
Bahrain put in their strongest performance yet at the 2025 IHF Men's Junior World Championship but lost to Serbia 36–32 in their final group game of the President's Cup in Poland. With both teams out of contention for the main round, Serbia were eyeing a clean sweep in the group to book a spot in the 17–20 placement matches. Bahrain, however, had other plans. After a disappointing showing against Tunisia earlier in the week, the Asian side came out with renewed intensity. Early Fightback Not Enough Serbia's experience showed in the opening minutes, but Bahrain responded with a 5:1 run to take an early 8–6 lead. However, they couldn't hold it. Serbia's 6:1 surge swung momentum back their way as they built a 21–15 cushion by halftime—the biggest lead of the match. Vukašin Antonijevic and Radan Kovacevic combined for 14 goals for Serbia, but Bahrain refused to fade. Abdulla Stands Out Mohamed Abdulla, later named Player of the Match, led Bahrain's charge with nine goals, supported by Elias Ali's 10. A 6:1 Bahrain run midway through the second half brought them within two goals at 27–25, setting up a tense final quarter-hour. But Serbia's depth told in the end, as they held firm to secure a four-goal victory and top the group. Elsewhere in President's Cup In the other group match, Tunisia beat Saudi Arabia 35–31 to seal second place and move on to the 21–24 placement bracket. After trailing early, Tunisia's superior shooting accuracy—84% up to the 53rd minute— proved decisive. Iskander Jafali led the scoring, while Koussay Ben Fraj earned Player of the Match honours. Saudi Arabia, still winless, will now head to the 25–28 placement matches.
Gulf Insider
5 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Tunisia Outclass Bahrain With Relentless Attack
Tunisia won their first match at the IHF Men's U21 World Championship in emphatic style on Sunday, beating Bahrain 39-27 in the President's Cup. Tunisia Set the Tempo Early From the opening whistle, Tunisia dictated the pace of the match with a fast, flowing attack that repeatedly pulled Bahrain out of shape. Averaging under 20 seconds per offensive possession, the North African side struck with intent and fluidity, capitalising on defensive gaps and unforced halftime, Tunisia had already put the contest out of reach with a 23-14 lead-an advantage built not only on slick ball movement but also on Bahrain's inability to keep the ball, turning it over 18 times across the match. Bahrain Struggles at Both Ends Bahrain's performance was marred by inconsistency, particularly in goal, where their shot- stoppers posted a save percentage below 20%. The defensive struggles were compounded by a disjointed attack that too often gifted Tunisia opportunities in transition. Despite flashes of individual skill, Bahrain failed to string together any sustained momentum. Their third straight loss at the tournament leaves them level on points with Tunisia, though the manner of this defeat will raise questions ahead of their today's outing against Serbia. Depth Drives Tunisian Dominance What stood out most in Tunisia's win was the balance in scoring. Six players recorded three or more goals, with Kousay Ben Fraj, Najib Hadded, and Khalil Barboura combining for nearly half the team's total output. The offensive spread proved overwhelming for a Bahraini defence that struggled with rotation and lacked answers to Tunisia's variety of threats. Mohamed Seifeddine Ben Abdennebi was named Player of the Match. Both Tunisia and Bahrain now sit on two points, with group standings still in flux. For Bahrain, the path forward is far from straightforward. Improvement, particularly in ball security and defensive cohesion, will be essential if they hope to rebound against Serbia. Also read: Bahrain: Interior Ministry Confirms Full Restoration Of Public And Road Operations
