(Asiad) S. Korea falls to Qatar in men's handball semis, drops to bronze medal match

Inazawa, Japan, on September 28, South Korea suffered a loss to defending champion Qatar in the men's handball semifinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The game took place at the Entrio venue in Inazawa, located northwest of Nagoya, Japan. Ultimately, South Korea fell short 32-30 against Qatar. The last gold medal in men's handball for South Korea came at the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010, where they defeated Iran 32-28.

They have won silver in 2014 and bronze in 2018, but have yet to secure a podium finish in 2023. The nation will face Japan in the bronze medal match on Tuesday.

South Korea made an early impact, scoring first and gaining a 4-1 lead in the seventh minute. Qatar attempted to close the gap to 9-8, but South Korea soon answered with another goal, extending their lead to 16-14. Qatar's Rafael Capote was serving a two-minute suspension midway through the first half. With all seven players back on the court, Qatar fought back, leveling the score at 16-16 before the halftime break.

In the second half, Qatar took an early lead at 18-16, but South Korea quickly responded by scoring two goals, tying the game once again. Despite Qatar's Youssef Ali serving another two-minute suspension, the team managed to keep the score close. However, they were unable to prevent South Korea from taking the lead for the remainder of the second half.

With three minutes left on the clock, Qatar extended its advantage to four goals, securing the victory with three minutes remaining. Kim Jin-young delivered a standout performance with seven goals, while Kim Tae-gwan added five to the score.