Qatar's handball team reached the semifinals of the Asian Games held in Hangzhou after defeating the Japanese national team 32-29 at the conclusion of the second group matches.
The Qatari national team concluded the first half ahead of Japan by one goal 16-15 after a distinguished performance by its players who countered the speed of the Japanese team, especially in defense and fast break offense.
In the second half, the Qatari team continued to excel due to the ability of its players in movement, accurate passes and defense, especially Capote, Franks, Abdul Razzaq Murad and Mustafa Haiba.
The national team was ahead on more than one occasion and widened the gap until the match ended in Qatar's favor with a score of 32-29.
This victory is the fifth in a row in the tournament after the team defeated South Korea, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and China. Qatar qualified for the semifinals at the top of the group, while Japan finished in second place.
In the semifinals, the Qatari national team, the holder of the title of the last two editions (South Korea 2014 and Indonesia 2018), will face the second-place team from Group A, which will be determined at a later time according to the result of the Kuwait-Bahrain match.
