Throughout day 3 of the 2014 Incheon Asia Para Games, the competition leaders really took charge and were out to show that they will be a threat come finals.
 
The day started with the match between the men of Iraq and hosts Korea. It took a while for the first team to score but once that first ball crossed the line, the goals kept on coming, especially for the goal scorer Mam Oh Kim of Korea. Bounce balls plus speed was enough for him to make seven goals of the Korea 10 against the Iraqi’s 4.
 
Next we turned to pool B for Japan and Qatar. This was another one sided match with the Japanese taking this 9-2. Similar to the previous match it took a while for Japan to get on the scoreboard but once that first goal was made, there was no looking back. The Japanese was already up 5-0 at the break. Qatar was able to get on the board in the second half but the damage was already done and despite their chances Qatar was not able to get back into this match.
 
The Chinese women were the next team to show that they were not there to play around. Their victims were the Koreans who went down 8-0. Variation and clever shot making was the key for the Chinese. The two halves were identical with 4 points being scored in each. The Koreans tried changing their defense style in the second half (wingers forward and center behind) but this was not able to stop the goals from going in.
 
The other women’s match for the day was what would be for many the upset of the day. It was between the Paralympic champions of Japan and Iran. Salahizadeh of Iran scored the first goal less than half a minute in with a ball over the centre player. Two minutes later Adachi equalised for Japan. Next it was Iran’s turn to score again mid-way through the second half. This was done by Salahizadeh once again. However this time there would be no Japanese equaliser. Iran scored two more goals in the second half and took the match 4-1.
 
Next the Iranian men were out to get the three points and did this easily against the Mongolians. This was a thorough 10-0 win over Mongolia in the first half.
 
The Chinese men showed in the final match of the day that they are as dangerous as the Iranian men. China defeated Jordan comprehensively 11-3. This was another superb display of shot making. The Chinese wall of defense was also unbreakable with the only Jordanian goals being scored off penalties.
 
Tomorrow will see the beginning of the mens semifinals and perhaps some more equal match ups. Iran and Japan will face off in what is a replay of the final from last year’s IBSA Goalball Asia/ Pacific Championships. Iran won then comprehensively. This will be followed by Korea and China. Finally the women round robin matches will also conclude.
 
Standings:
Men’s Pool A
Iran 3 0 0 33 8 9 25 13
Korea 2 0 1 24 14 6 10 12
Iraq 1 0 2 20 25 3 -5 5
Mongolia 0 0 3 2 32 0 -30 -30
 
Men’s Pool B
China 3 0 0 27 3 9 24 14
Japan 2 0 1 17 9 6 8 0
Jordan 1 0 2 12 24 3 -12 -2
Qatar 0 0 3 7 27 0 -20 -12
 
Women’s Pool Y
Iran 2 0 0 15 3 6 12 4
Korea 1 0 2 4 9 3 -5 -2
China 2 0 0 10 1 6 9 6
Japan 1 0 2 3 6 3 -3 -3
Thailand 0 0 2 2 15 0 -13 -5