Qatar’s goalkeeper Danijel Saric is one of the key reasons for his team’s progress.
By Sports Reporter/Doha
Qatar vs Poland and France vs Spain are the pairings for the semi-finals at the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship at Lusail Multipurpose Hall today.
France and Spain are the only preliminary round group winners to make their way to the semis.
Here are the most important facts and figures of the four semi-finalists:
Qatar
Competition records:
World championship campaigns: 2003: 16, 2005: 21, 2007: 23, 2013: 20
Asian championship campaigns: 1991: 4, 2002: SILVER, 2004: BRONZE, 2006: BRONZE,
2012: SILVER, 2014: GOLD
Qualification for Qatar 2015: Hosts
Coach: Valero Rivera
Key players: Zarko Markovic, Danijel Saric
The road to the semi-finals: ranked second in Group A after the preliminary round, 29:27 (13:14) against Austria in the eighth-finals, 26:24 (16:14) in their quarter-final against Germany
Semi-finals at World Championships: 1 (2015)
Best scorers after seven matches: Zarko Markovic 55 goals, Rafael Capote 36 goals
Goals and points after seven matches: 192:173 goals, 7 wins, 1 defeat
Poland
Competition records:
World championship campaigns: 1958: 5, 1974: 4, 1978: 6, 1982: BRONZE, 1986: 14, 1990: 11, 2003: 10, 2007: SILVER, 2009: BRONZE, 2011: 8, 2013: 9
Olympic campaigns: 1972: 10, 1976: BRONZE, 1980: 7, 2008: 5
European championship campaigns: 2002: 15, 2004: 16, 2006: 10, 2008: 7, 2010: 4, 2012: 9, 2014: 6
Qualification for Qatar 2015: Winners of the play-off matches against Germany (25:24, 29:28)
Coach: Michael Biegler
Key players: Slawomir Szmal, Bartosz Jurecki
The road to the semi-finals: ranked third in preliminary round Group D, 24:20 (10:11) against Sweden in the eighth-finals, 24:22 (12:10) against Croatia in their quarter-final
Semi-finals at World Championships: 4 (including 2015)
Top scorers after seven matches: Michal Jurecki 26 goals, Kamil Syprzak 24 goals
Goals and points after seven matches: 183:153 goals, 5 wins, 2 defeats
France
Competition records:
World championship campaigns: 1954: 6, 1961: 8, 1970: 12, 1990: 9, 1993: SILVER, 1995: GOLD, 1997: BRONZE, 1999: 6, 2001: GOLD, 2003: BRONZE, 2005: BRONZE, 2007: 4, 2009: GOLD, 2011: GOLD, 2013: 6.
Olympic campaigns: 1992: BRONZE, 1996: 4, 2000: 6, 2004: 5, 2008: GOLD, 2012: GOLD
European championship campaigns: 1994: 6, 1996: 7, 1998: 7, 2000: 4, 2002: 6, 2004: 6, 2006: GOLD, 2008: BRONZE, 2010: GOLD, 2012: 11, 2014: GOLD
Qualification for Qatar 2015: European Champions
Coach: Claude Onesta
Key players: Thierry Omeyer, Nikola Karabatic
The road to the semi-finals: winners of preliminary round Group C, 33:20 (16:6) against Argentina in the eighth-finals, 32:23 (18:10) against Slovenia in their quarter-final
Semi-finals at World Championships: 10 (including 2015)
Top scorers after seven matches Michael Guigou 28 goals, Guillaume Joli 27 goals
Goals and points after seven matches: 208:171 goals, 6 wins, 1 draw
Spain
Competition records:
World championship campaigns: 1978: 10, 1982: 8, 1986: 5, 1990: 5, 1993: 5, 1995: 11, 1997: 7, 1999: 4, 2001: 5, 2003: 4, 2005: GOLD, 2007: 7, 2009: 13, 2011: BRONZE, 2013: GOLD
Olympic campaigns: 1972: 15, 1980: 5, 1984: 8, 1988: 9, 1992: 5, 1996: BRONZE, 2000: BRONZE, 2004: 7, 2008: BRONZE, 2012: 7
European championship campaigns: 1994: 5, 1996: SILVER, 1998: SILVER, 2000: BRONZE, 2002: 7, 2004: 10, 2006: SILVER, 2008: 6, 2012: 4, 2014: BRONZE
Qualification for Qatar: Defending World Champions
Coach: Manuel Cadenas
Key players: Joan Canellas, Julen Aguinagalde
The road to the semi-finals: winners of preliminary round Group A, 28:20 (18:9) against Tunisia in the eighth-finals, 25:24 (11:11) in their quarter-final against Denmark
Semi-finals at World Championships: 6 (including 2015)
Top scorers after seven matches: Valero Rivera jun. 39 goals, Joan Canellas 27 goals
Goals and points after seven matches: 215:171 goals, 7 wins.
Now to see how they do on the court.