TEHRAN – Iran handball team started the 2019 AHF Men's Asian qualification with a nail-biting win over South Korea.

Team Melli beat the Korean team 28-27 in Group B at the Duhail Handball Sports Hall in Doha. Bahrain went top of the group with a 26-21 win over Kuwait.

In Group A, Saudi Arabia defeated India 35-24 and hosts Qatar thrashed Hong Kong 49-19.

Iran will meet Bahrain on Sunday while Korea face Kuwait in the group. 

The top two teams of each group advance to the semi-finals and then final, with the winner booking their ticket through to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The runner-up will qualify for the IHF Olympic qualification in April.