National Champion Beijing outscored Jiangsu 34-31 to claim title of the Good Luck Beijing men's Handball Tournament on Friday.

The two teams exchanged lead several times in the opening minutes. Feng Ning, captain of Beijing twisted his ankle at the 7 minutes and left for first-aid, never returning in the later game.

Stunned by the surprising injury of team leader and top scorer, the Beijing side lost their aggressiveness in the pitch, suffering a 0-6 nightmare in the following five minutes, until right wing Guan Miao stood up to end the embarrassed score blank.

Tying 18-18 in the first half, Beijing seized control of the game bit by bit after the break and built the lead thanks to the opponent's turnovers. Although playing short-handed in the final two minutes, Beijing managed to hold the 3-point advantage till the end, disappointing Jiangsu, runner-up of 2007 National Championship for another time.

"Feng's injury was a big loss for us. Fortunately, we have some good substitutes on the bench to make up the loss," said An Futian, coach of Beijing after the game.

Talking about the goal in the near future, An said they had already locked the aim to the title of next National Games.
 
(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2008)