Qatar fall short in big game against holders Spain
This was the battle of the big boys at the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship and it was Spain who drew first blood when they defeated Qatar 28-25 in an intense contest yesterday at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall. In an end-to-end game, with both teams having qualified for the knockout stages, it was about who would top the group and get an easier opponent in the next round.
Qatar were facing world champions Spain and they initially seemed to be in awe of the situation. Spain got off to a 5-2 start courtesy of getting faster out of the blocks. But then the home side started getting stronger and reduced the deficit and went into the break with a two-point lead with the score at 10-8.
That low score was largely due to the goalkeepers from both teams who were at their very best. Qatar came out stronger in the second half and took a three-point lead. The second half saw a lot more goals scored than in the first half. Spain then fought back and took the lead with less than five minutes remaining with the score at 25-24. The world champions then managed to score three quick goals and the home team could score only one in the closing minutes. This was the first defeat for Qatar and this loss also drops them to third in the table with one more match left to play.
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Source News: Gulf Times
