Qatar defeated Switzerland 29-27 in their last group B match of the IHF Junior World Championship at the Gradska Sportska Dvorana Indoor Hall in Ljubuski, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
However, Switzerland progressed to the second round on better goal difference (-2 to Qatar’s -5). Germany, Croatia and the Netherlands had already qualified to the round of 16.
Qatar’s chances had become difficult even before the match began. In yesterday’s first game, the Netherlands beat Algeria (30-24) to reach four points. Qatar, on two points and having a -7 goal difference, had to beat the Swiss (zero goal difference) by at least eight goals to progress.
The players, knowing fully well the difficult task ahead, attacked from the start. Swiss goalkeeper Nikola Portner defused two moves through the right flank and they scored from the counter-attack. Qatar were always within two goals of the Europeans, but they could not take the lead. Swiss star Kevin Jud kept scoring regularly.
It did not help when three Qatari players — Firas Chaieb, Eldar Memisevic and Abdulaziz Al Shammari — received yellow cards within the first 10 minutes.
But Tareq Alkhateeb, whom Qatar coach Dragan Zovko introduced early in the first half, kept Qatar’s scoreboard ticking. And Selvedin Omahic equalled the score for the first time (9-9) in the 20th while Maamoun Saad increased it to 10-9 two minutes later. From then on, the two teams fought inch for inch and were tied 12-12 at half-time.
Qatari players looked a transformed lot in the second half. Memisevic, Kamalaldin Mallash and Omahic kept the scores ticking and Qatar took a 19-17 lead by the 40th. Memisevic, who had not played the first two matches because of an ankle injury, went down in the 45th. But he was back on his feet soon after receiving medical attention.
Hadi Hamdoon was given a harsh two-minute suspension and Switzerland took advantage of the situation to go up 21-20. Zovko substituted goalkeeper Abdulaziz Althafiri with Grco Mirnes and he made an impact by saving a few shots.
Omahic was shown a red card in the 55th for three two-minute violations, the last being a foul on Luca Spengler. Despite missing their key player, Qatar fought bravely to complete a 29-27 win, but it wasn’t quite enough to ensure them safe passage.
Zovko said the team should now concentrate on the President’s Cup, for positions 17 to 20. “We played well and won, but it wasn’t enough to get us to the next round. We shouldn’t dwell on the past. We should think of finishing as high as possible now,” he said.
The President’s Cup, for the fifth-placed teams in the four groups, begins from tomorrow.