Al Sadd come up short vs Barcelona

Al Sadd’s Fahad al-Bishi (left) in action against Barcelona’s Nikola Karabatic (centre) during their 2014 IHF Super Globe Handball Championship match at the Qatar Handball Association Complex yesterday. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil

By Sahan Bidappa/Doha

The opening day of the IHF Super Globe championship, which pits continental club champions against each other, saw the newly-built arena buzzing as though the World Handball Championship, which Qatar is set to host in January, was already in town.

The facilities on offer were nothing short of world class as Qatar showed they are ready to host the marquee event. The opening ceremony, which began before the night’s big match between defending champions Barcelona and local outfit Al Sadd, was short but spectacular.

The lights went off at the 5,500-capacity venue as school children performed with team flags and banners, before the acrobatic show thrilled the crowd.

With the drums beating, Qataris in the crowd took over from the performers, giving Al Sadd the perfect stage to put up a spirited effort against the most successful handball club in the world.

And Al Sadd did begin on a promising note as they took an 8-6 lead in the first 15 minutes before Barcelona shunted out the Qatari challenge as the game went on to cruise home by 34-25 in a preliminary Group B match.

While not a surprising result, Al Sadd gave Barcelona some anxious moments in the first half. Sadd attackers were all over Barcelona as they jumped into a two-point lead before a defence error allowed the Spanish side to come back.

Al Sadd conceded a free throw, which was scored easily by left back Nikola Karabatic past goalkeeper Abdelmalik Slahdji. Barcelona then reeled in five more points as they took an 11-9 lead. They grew stronger as the first half progressed with the Catalans going into the break at 17-12.

In the second half, Barcelona came out with all guns blazing and had it not been for goalkeeper Yousuf al-Abdulla, who replaced Slahdji, Al Sadd would have conceded more.

For Barcelona, right back Kiril Lazarov and left wing Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson scored six goals each, while right back Eduardo Gurbindo was on target five times. Amine Bannour and Mario Tomic were the top-scorers for Al Sadd with five goals apiece.

Barcelona coach Xavier Pascual was quite pleased with his team’s show, despite the initial hiccup. “My team played very well. Toward the end of first half, we scored five goals and in the beginning of the second half we closed out the game,” he said.

Left back Viran Morros was relieved to start the tournament on a winning note. “We had a good game and our defence was getting better during the game. We had a great start in the second half and it helped us a lot to soothe our nerves. The first game of a championship is always complicated; it’s never easy so I am happy with the win. But we can play better,” Morros said.

Al Sadd coach Mongi Bannani too was content with his players putting up a determined performance against such a strong team.

“Our team has had an ideal preparation for the tournament. Some of the players were given more chances today as it will serve them better in the next two matches. We came up against a strong team, who have some experienced players and we tried our best. We attempted to score as many as possible but were not successful. Despite that, I am satisfied with my players’ performance,” Bannani said.