Qatar keep Asian title with stunning win over S. Korea

By N.D. Prashant/Doha

Qatar’s Selvedin Omahic scores against South Korea in the Asian Men’s Junior Handball final yesterday

Hosts Qatar came up with a stunning performance to retain their title at the 13th Asian Men’s Junior Handball Championship with a thrilling 25-22 victory over a spirited South Korea here at the Qatar Sports Club yesterday.The result was yet another bitter pill for the South Koreans to swallow as they ended up as runners-up for the second successive time. Two years back, Qatar had beaten the Koreans 32-27 to win the coveted trophy in Tehran.With both sides once again making it to the finals, the contest was always going to be an absorbing one and it certainly lived up to the expectations. The tall and well-built Qatari boys were faced with the guile and agility of the Koreans.With the shrewd Serbian coach Dragan Zovko  dictating strategies from the sidelines,  Qatar rose to the occasion right from the start. As seen throughout the tournament, Qatar got into the scoring act quickly. The Koreans also kept pace with their opponents and drew level at 4-4 before the hosts again pulled away. There was very little to choose between the sides at the breather as Qatar had just managed a two goal cushion (12-10).As expected, the Koreans, egged on by a handful of supporters, came hard at the hosts after the change of ends. They kept closing the gap slowly.  A 17-14 lead was brought down to one at 19-18 and then the match got precariously poised once the scores were levelled at 20-20, nine minutes from time.Qatar coach Zovko, in order to stem the rot, quickly called for timeout and some strong words to his boys were enough to get the hosts back on track.

The team celebrate with Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani and other officials

“I had rested a few of my players when they drew level. Once they were back, we stole back our initiative. I was confident that the boys will not let things slip and was not at all worried,” revealed Zovko after the match. Qatar then pumped in five goals in a span of four minutes and piled the pressure back on the visitors before sealing a memorable victory. “This was always going to be a tough match but I had faith in my boys. They have been working really hard and all credit goes to them. It was simply an exceptional performance and I’m really proud of them,” added a jubilant Zovko.Lot of credit should also go to Qatar’s custodian Abdulaziz al-Thafiri, who was simply exceptional under the bar towards the end. He came out with some brilliant saves which eventually paved the way for Qatar’s triumph.“Yes, we were in a bit of a pressure when the score got levelled but we have been working really hard and playing as a unit for the last seven months. We knew we could come back and I also managed to come out with some saves. It was complete teamwork and we are thrilled to retain the title,” said an elated al-Thafiri.For Qatar, Hadi Hamdoon stood out with a top score of seven goals. Selvedin Omahic, who had been brilliant all through the tournament, had six goals to his name. Other vital contributions of three goals each came from Mousa al-Mousa al-Khalaf and Eldar Memisevic.“I’m not only pleased with my showing but also of my teammates. We all wanted o win the finals and we gave our best. We would like to keep up the good work and try and win the title at the world championship as well,” said an overjoyed Omahic.