Qatar players celebrate their win over Uzbekistan on Monday.
Doha: High-flying Qatar are hoping to continue their winning run at the Asian Men’s Handball Championship 2022 as they meet South Korea in their final main round match in Dammam, Saudi Arabia today.
The four-time winners will win Group I if they beat nine-time champions South Korea in a highly-anticipated game at the Ministry of Sports Hall.
Qatar’s victory today will also ensure them a straight-forward passage to the semi-finals and confirm their berth in the 2023 World Men’s Handball Championship.
Top five teams from the Asian Championship will qualify for the event to be jointly hosted by Poland and Sweden.
Qatar, who have four points and are enjoying a goal difference of +46, will still have bright chances of qualifying for the semi-finals in case of a loss against South Korea in their last group match. Both Saudi Arabia and South Korea have 2 points each from as many matches with the latter enjoying a better goal difference (+5) as compared to home team’s -10.
Saudi Arabia will meet winless Uzbekistan in their final Group I match today.
Meanwhile, the semi-finalists of Group II have already been decided with Bahrain and Iran advancing after two consecutive victories as Iraq and Kuwait are yet to score a win. On the last day of main round, Iraq will meet Kuwait while Bahrain and Iran will square off to determine the Group II winners today.
Top two teams from each group will enter the semi-finals of the tournament after today’s matches. The semi-finals will be played on January 29 while the final is scheduled on January 31.
Today’s fixtures
Group I
Qatar vs South Korea
Uzbekistan vs Saudi Arabia
Group II
Iraq vs Kuwait
Bahrain vs Iran
