Qatar’s Moustafa Heiba prepares to shoot at the goal during the match against Kuwait.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar will aim to secure a berth in the quarter-finals after placing themselves among global heavyweights following a thrilling win over Kuwait at the IHF Men’s Handball World Championship in Croatia.
Qatar fended off a late comeback from Kuwait to claim a 25-22 victory in their final Group C match in Porec to book their place in the main round of the prestigious event, hosted jointly by Croatia, Denmark and Norway.
Qatar, who had earlier suffered losses against six-time champions France (19-37) and Austria (26-28), are now placed in Group II, along with five other teams. France and Austria are also in the same group, while the top three teams from Group D who are yet to be decided, will also be pitted in the same group.
In their final Group C match late on Saturday at the Zatika Sports Centre, Qatar stamped their dominance early on, taking a 4-0 lead against their Arabian counterparts.
Goalkeeper Anadin Sulijakovic’s brilliance was evident, particularly in the first 20 minutes.
Despite the early struggles, Kuwait tried to make inroads, but Qatar finished the first half with a strong 11-7 score. Veterans Rafael Capote and Zarko Markovic led Qatar’s scoring in the first half with four goals each.
Kuwait unleashed a well-organised attack in the second half as they successfully narrowed the gap, mainly with the help of Abdulaziz Alshammari who eventually ended up as the top scorer of the match with eight scalps.
However, Qatar continued to stay on top with a brilliant team effort to finish the match with a three-goal lead to place themselves in third position in Group C to advance on coach Veselin Vujovic’s 64th birthday.
Markovic top-scored for Qatar with seven goals from 10 attempts, while 11 of their 14 outfield players scored at least one goal in a display of exceptional teamwork.
Tomorrow, in their opening Group II clash, Qatar take on the second-placed team of Group D at the Varazdin Arena in Varazdin, Croatia. Their next opponent will be North Macedonia (January 23), before concluding the stage on January 25 with a meeting with Group D winners, who were yet to be decided.
