New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Hosts India narrowly missed the chance to win a berth for the World qualifying round as they lost a nail-biting contest to Uzbekistan in the sixth Asian Women’s Youth Handball Championships at the IGI Stadium here on Tuesday.
Despite giving their best, India lost 22-24 to Uzbekistan in the qualification match of the continental event for fifth place. A top-five spot would have got India a passage into the global meet.
India started the contest on brisk pace, matching their rivals but it wasn’t their day. They trailed by a narrow margin of two points at the break (9-11).
The home team fought bravely in the second session too. At one point, they were on the verge of defeating Uzbekistan, but the opponent team got the upper hand and were able to maintain the lead till the final whistle.
Meanwhile, defending champions South Korea dominated the first semifinal, scoring a 35-18 win over Kazakhstan to march into the final. The Speedy Koreans were no match for Kazakhstan, who weren’t able to cover the court quick enough.