Korea men's handball defeats Iran 25-24 but leave empty-handed

The Korean men's handball team defeated Iran 25-24 on Sunday, but their earlier loss to Kuwait knocked them out of medal contention.

The Korean men’s handball team came from behind to defeat Iran 25-24 in their final main round game on Sunday but will not have a chance to medal after an earlier loss denied them a semifinal spot.

Korea ended the first half down one point, putting the scoreboard at 12-11 with Iran in the lead.

The Korean team came back during the second half, staying neck-and-neck with Iran until surpassing them at the end.

With the score at 24-24 and less than a minute to go in the game, left winger Jang Dong-Hyun scored a penalty shot to put Korea up by one point, ending the match 25-24.

Despite winning on Sunday, the Korean team was knocked out of medal contention by Kuwait on Saturday during their second main round game, following a loss to Bahrain on Friday.

The main round is where the top two teams from four groups — A, B, C and D — are divided again into two groups — I and II — and compete against each other to reach the semifinals.

Korea had started the game strong, scoring multiple goals to end the first half 13-9. The second half was more neck-and-neck and Korea conceded a series of goals. The score was tied at 24-24 and Kuwait broke the deadlock in the last minute, completing a comeback to win the game 25-24.

The loss to Kuwait denied the Korean team a chance to reach the semifinals and defend their title as bronze medalists at the 2018 Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Korean women’s handball team, on the other hand, will continue a bid to win their third consecutive Asiad gold as they face China in the semifinals on Tuesday.

BY MARY YANG AND PAIK JI-HWAN [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]