– Kuwait progressed to the quarterfinals of the Asian Men’s Handball Championship, finishing second in Group A after being edged to a 27-26 defeat to group-leaders South Korea.

The two sides, who have a total 13 titles between them, fought it out on the court with South Korea coming out on top by only one goal in each of the two halves at Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Stadium in Saudi Arabia’s eastern city of Al-Qatif.

Meanwhile, champions Qatar progressed from Group C, inflicting a 22-17 loss to United Arab Emirates, alongside Iraq, who beat Oman, with the the hosts Saudi Arabia making it to the knockout stages with Iran in Group B, despite a loss to the latter.

Both Bahrain and Uzbekistan also go through in Group D.

The top five sides in the Asian tournament will also earn direct qualification to the 2023 World Cup.

Source: Kuwait News Agency