The Peninsula
Hosts Qatar yesterday outclassed Spain 2-0 in their final preliminary round match to ensure their perfect run ahead of the knockout stage of men’s handball competition at the first ANOC World Beach Games Qatar 2019.
Al Annabis, backed by a good number of home spectators at Al Gharafa Beach, displayed another clinical performance beating their European opponents 17-16, 20-10. Spain gave a good fight to Qatar in the first session, and locked the score 16-16 before the hosts took things beyond their control.
Qatar with an aggressive display in the final session sealed the victory comfortably, with Hani Kakhi and Mohamed Mutasem emerging as stars of the match. Kakhi scored 7 while Mutasem fired 6 goals. The win against Spain means that Qatar will go into the quarter-finals as Group B leaders with five consecutive victories, hoping to maintain the same performance against Australians today.
Qatar had defeated Croatia, Hungary, Uruguay, and Tunisia earlier in the preliminary rounds.
Following the loss, Spain finished fourth in the group and will meet Group A leaders Denmark in today’s first quarter-final.
That fourth spot could well have been Uruguay at the beginning of the day as a victory against the Tunisians, combined with a Croatia victory over Hungary, would have seen the South and Central American runners-up qualify through to the last eight.
And as they lined up on adjoining the nervousness from Hungary and their supporters – including their women’s team – was apparent. However, they never needed to worry in the end as a 2-0 win over Croatia, thanks, in part, to a poor shooting performance from the Croatians, ensured that by the time the Hungarians had finished, Uruguay, mid-way through their second period were aware they were out.
The results meant that Hungary finished second in the group ahead of Croatia and Spain, with Tunisia leapfrogging over Uruguay into fifth place.
Brazil will play Croatia while Hungary will take on Sweden in the other quarter-finals today. USA, Uruguay, Oman, and Tunisia will battle for 9 to 12 places.
Meanwhile, the men’s waterski jump preliminary event scheduled yesterday was cancelled due to weather conditions at Leqtaifiya Lagoon.
Chief judge Candido Moz commented: “The situation is unsafe for jumping. As a chief judge, I have decided they are not allowed to ski because it is too dangerous.
“I put the question forward to the team captains; we have two options, either starting at 06:30 tomorrow or taking everybody into the final and starting at 09:00 as scheduled.
“The skiers voted by majority to start at 09:00.
”All nine competitors will now compete solely in the men’s Waterski Jump final tomorrow (today) at 09:00.”