Qatar’s Zarko Markovic (left) gets past Spain’s Raul Entrerrios during their 24th Men’s Handball World Championship Group A match at Lusail Multipurpose Hall yesterday; (right) Qatar coach Valero Rivera. PICTURES: Anas Khalid
By Joe Koraith/Doha
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.
As for the father versus son sub-plot — Qatar’s Spanish head coach Valero Rivera was up against his son (also named Valero Rivera) — and it was Valero Junior who came out trumps. The son was the top-scorer for Spain with seven goals.
The Qatar coach conceded that Spain were deserved victors but was happy with his team’s fighting spirit. “I think Spain deserved the win. They were the better team at the end. However, having the win within reach for the first 50 minutes is a success in itself for a team like ours, but at the end, Spain deserved the win more than we did,” said Rivera.
Spanish coach Manuel Cadenas was happy with the great display put up by both teams. “This was a great game, I think everyone could see that. When two great teams really show themselves, things are often decided in the last minutes, and that was what happened today, where it was decided after we managed to score three goals in a row at the end,” he said.
As for the home team, their unbeaten run has come to an end but they can still take second spot by defeating Belarus in their final group match and hope that Slovenia doesn’t beat Spain.
CROATIA DOWN MACEDONIA
In the other battle between the top teams, it was Croatia who took on Macedonia for supremacy of Group B. And the Croats emerged victorious 29-26 to take top spot. It was a crowded house at the Duhail Sports Hall with the Macedonians having turned out in large numbers.
Macedonia, riding on a huge fan support, started strong and were regularly in the lead. But then the Croats found their feet and levelled the scores (13-13) in the 27th minute. Croats had a one-goal lead at 15-14 going into the break.
The second half started just like the first half with Macedonia dominating the game. But then by the middle of the second half, they seemed to have dropped in pace. And this is when the Croats came at them strongly. Croatia soon found themselves with a five-point lead (23-18). Though Macedonia attempted a comeback, Croatia were able to close out the game with a three-point margin.
In the other match yesterday, Tunisia celebrated their first victory of the tournament when they defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina 27-24 in what was a thrilling encounter. This win also gives them three points and a chance to claim the last pre-quarters spot in Group B.
