Alkass Digital
Defending champions Qatar dominated Uzbekistan 46-15 as they steadily close in on a spot in the semi-finals of Asian Men’s Handball Championship 2022 held in Saudi Arabia.
The second consecutive win in the main round put the four-time winners on top of Group I standings with 4 points and a goal difference of +46.
Qatar, who also topped their group in the preliminary stage with three straight wins, has scored a total of 80 goals while conceding only 34 in the main round.
Yesterday, Qatar strikers were on target, scoring at will from all corners garnering total scores of 28-7 and 18-8 in the two halves respectively.
After the win, Qatar became favourites to reach the semi-finals as hosts Saudi Arabia stunned nine-time winners South Korea 27-22 in yesterday’s late match at the same venue.
The home team jumped to the second spot in the group on basis of a better goal difference, with South Korea slipping to third. Uzbekistan, who are yet to register a win in the main round, are at bottom. Qatar and South Korea will square off tomorrow in an anticipated Group I fixture while Uzbekistan will meet Saudi Arabia the same day in the last match of the group.
Meanwhile in Group II, Bahrain retained their top position after a hard-fought 34-31 victory against Iraq in Dammam.
The other match of the group saw Iran edging out Kuwait 27-26 (11-11) after a thrilling match.
Tomorrow, Iraq faces Kuwait in their last match of the main round while Bahrain will take on Iran in a battle to top group.
The 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. Teams winning the top five positions in the tournament will qualify for the 2023 World Men’s Handball Championship to be jointly hosted by Poland and Sweden.
Asian Men’s Handball Championship 2022
Yesterday’s Results
Group I
Qatar beat Uzbekistan 46-15
Saudi Arabia beat South Korea 27-22
Group II
Iran beat Kuwait 27-26
Bahrain beat Iraq 34-31