Japan beat South Korea 37:32 in their Asian Games match on September 29th. The hosts finished level on points with their visitors after the test, though South Korea had played one more game. By then you could see Japan were building momentum after a mixed opening week.
Japan had lost to Bahrain 31:35 the day before and were beaten by Qatar 28:37 on September 25th. They bounced back with a 44:17 win over Hong Kong before drawing level with South Korea here. The visitors had won against Kazakhstan 44:22 but lost to Qatar 30:32 on their last outing.
South Korea came into this one on 5 points from 4 games, with 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. Japan sat on 4 points from 3 matches, unbeaten with 2 wins and a draw. The margin was narrow, as it often is between these two.
Japan's recent form showed a team finding its rhythm. After the defeats to Bahrain and Qatar, they had won three of their last four before this match. South Korea's record was steadier but included a heavy loss to Kazakhstan and a narrow defeat to Qatar.
The result kept both sides in contention at the top of the group. Japan moved to 7 points from 4 games while South Korea remained on 5 points from 5 matches. The hosts had played fewer matches but were right there with the visitors.
