South Korea and Qatar meet on Monday in the men’s handball semifinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The match is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Entrio in Inazawa, near Nagoya.
South Korea are seeking their first Asian Games gold in 16 years, while Qatar aim for a fourth consecutive title. South Korea previously won five straight men’s handball gold medals from 1986 to 2002.
Coach Cho Young-shin, who led the team to its last gold in 2010, said the squad had improved and had met its first goal by reaching the semifinals. In the group stage, Korea lost 30-21 to Bahrain, beat Kuwait 26-23 and drew 26-26 with Iran.
Cho said the team would need fast transitions, tight defense and contributions from all 16 players. He acknowledged Qatar’s strength but noted Korea beat them at the Asian championships in January. Qatar’s long-range scoring will require a special defensive plan, he said. Source: Yonhap.