By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
The South Korean men’s handball team was in contention all night, but just couldn’t get the defensive stops in the end as it lost 29-25 to Spain in the Olympic quarterfinals Wednesday.
The match was a slow-paced grinder, which, despite the shortage of goals, had the makings of a classic until the Koreans suddenly ran out of gas in the middle of the second half.
The two teams exchanged blows at an equal rate out of the gate and neither of them led the other by more than a goal for the first 40 minutes.
Then the intensity suddenly disappeared when Spain, holding a narrow 18-17 lead in the 50th minute, went on a 6-0 run that the Koreans never managed to recover from.
The Koreans, who were ranked 11th among the 12 Olympic teams in scoring, had planned to rely on a stingy defense and convert on high-percentage shots on the counterattack.
However, manager Kim Tae-hoon’s side struggled to cope with Spain’s size and strength at both ends of the floor and had to rely on the attacking prowess of Jung Su-young and Paek Won-chul to stay within striking distance.
The Koreans were clearly worried most about Carlos Prieto, a towering 2.04-meter pivot with scoring ability. However, with Kim having defenders crowding the top of the arch, the Spanish wingers took advantage of their excess space, with Raul Entrerrios and Juan Garcia collaborating for seven goals.
Jung converted on all of his four shots in the first half and Paek and Kim Tea-wan scored three goals apiece as the Koreans were down 14-13 entering the second half.
The match remained close after halftime, with the Koreans tying the game four times in the first six minutes of the second half on goals by Paek and Jeong Yi-kyeong.
After Garcia’s goal made it 18-17 near the 37th minute, Spain got its first two-goal lead of the night in the 39th minute on a shot by Albert Rocas.
It was the first of three consecutive goals by Rocas, with Paek and Ko Kyung-soo missing opportunities on the other end, and Spain was suddenly running away with a 21-17 lead.
The reeling Koreans suffered a further blow to their momentum when Yoon Kyung-shin, a main defensive presence, got a two-minute suspension for a foul.
After conceding consecutive goals by Cristian Malmagro, Rocas, and Iker Romero, Jeong finally ended Korea’s near-15 minute goal drought in the 50th minute to make it a 24-18 game.
However, Rocas and Romero scored again to make it 26-18 and the Koreans didn’t have a comeback in them.