Incheon City Corporation (head coach Jung Kang-wook) snapped a four-game losing streak to Chungnam Provincial Office (head coach Kim Tae-hoon).
The Incheon Metropolitan City Corporation defeated Chungnam-do 23-21 in the men’s fourth round of the Shinhan SOL Pay 23-24 Handball H League at SK Hawks Arena in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, on Tuesday to secure second place.
With the win, Incheon City Corporation moved within striking distance of Dusan, which leads the league with three wins, one draw and seven points. Chungnam National Government failed to pick up a point as they suffered their fourth straight defeat.
Down 10-13 in the first half due to Chungnam-do’s close defense, Incheon City Corporation improved its defense in the second half and seized the initiative.
In the first 15 minutes of the game, Incheon City Corporation goalkeeper Ahn Jun-ki saved six shots but failed to convert, giving Chungnam-do a three-point lead. Chungnam-do was not immune to mistakes and briefly cut the deficit to one point, but two Incheon City players were sent off simultaneously for two minutes to end the first half with a 13-10 lead.
In the second half, however, Incheon fought back to take a 17-16 lead.
After exchanging one goal each, the game was tense, and with 50 seconds left, Incheon City Corporation’s Ha Min-ho scored a goal to take a two-point lead, 23-21.
For Incheon, MVP Yoon Si-yeol led the offense with six goals and four assists, while goalkeepers Ahn Jun-ki and Lee Chang-woo combined to stop 15 shots.
Chungnam-do’s goalkeeper Nam Nam-cheol stopped 18 shots, but the loss was a disappointment.
Incheon will next face Doosan, who are in first place, in the final match of the first round on December 3.
“It was a tough game with a lot of mistakes, but I think that’s something we need to work on in the future,” said Incheon City Corporation head coach Jung Kang-wook. “We’re playing Doosan at the end of the first round, and I want to leave it up to the players to win or lose, because in the end, the winner is the most important thing,” he said after the game.