SANYA, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Iran beat defending champion Pakistan 38-28 in the men's beach kabaddi Group A opener at the 6th Asian Beach Games on Thursday, sending an early signal of its gold medal ambitions.
"I would like to thank everyone who supports us. This victory is for all the Iranian people who stand behind us," said Iran captain Mohammad Malak after the match. "It was a very tough and close match. The weather was hot, but we delivered a strong and impressive performance. We are ready to fight for the gold medal."
Iran and Pakistan are widely regarded as the leading contenders in the men's competition. Iran won the third and fourth editions of the Games by beating Pakistan in the finals, while Pakistan claimed gold at the 2016 Da Nang Games in Vietnam and has collected one gold and four silver medals across the previous five editions.
Iran's Ali Sourtechizarrini said Pakistan had arrived aiming for the title, but stressed that Iran shared the same objective. "We will take it step by step and aim to stand on top of the podium," he said.
Iran head coach Farhad Kamal Gharibi said the team would now focus on its match against India and prepare specific strategies for different opponents.
"Despite the challenges our country is facing, the players gave everything on the field, and I am very satisfied with their performance," Gharibi said. "We thank the Iranian people for their support, and we will do our best to bring the gold medal home."
In other men's matches, Bangladesh beat Syria 54-23 in Group A, while India cruised past Chinese Taipei 66-23 and Sri Lanka defeated Thailand 43-29 in Group B.
In the women's competition, India secured an early semifinal berth with a 44-32 win over Sri Lanka, as only one victory was needed to advance from the three-team Group A. In Group B, Bangladesh beat Thailand 51-34, while Nepal defeated Chinese Taipei 48-32. ■
