Qatar beat Bahrain in thriller to defend the men’s handball title at the Asian Games

The Qatar men’s handball team proved its mettle on the court by defeating Bahrain 32-27 in extra-time to retain their Asian Games title it had won four years ago.

It was Qatar’s third appearance at an Asian Games final, after they had lost to Kuwait at home during the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

The team, runners-up at the 2015 IHF World Championships in Doha, underlined their dominance in Asia after tying Bahrain 25-25 at the end of regulation time and then pulling ahead in extra time.

أدعم اليد يحرز الذهبية بعد فوزه في النهائي على المنتخب البحريني بنتيجة 32 - 27 ألف مبروك ياأبطال الأسياد للمرة الثانية #أنا_قطر

Team Qatar wins Gold! After beating bahrain 32 - 27to achieve Asian games gold medal for the second time in history #IamQatar pic.twitter.com/znfYL8DptV

— Team Qatar (@qatar_olympic) August 31, 2018

With just 27 seconds to go for the buzzer and Bahrain leading 25-24 and seemingly on their way to the title, Qatar’s Spanish coach Valero Rivera called a timeout, and it proved to be a masterstroke, reported Gulf Times. 

The few minutes of ‘strategising’ was enough to break Bahrain’s momentum and plant a few doubts in their heads.
A lurking Ali Yousef, on the left flank, suddenly rose to the occasion and scored Qatar’s equaliser. The game went into 10 minutes of extra time and the rest, as they say, is history.

Left back Anis Zouaoui led the scoring for Qatar with seven goals. Left back Frankis Marzo and right back Betrand Roine added six and five goals respectively. Right winger Allaedine Berrached, left back Rafael Capote and pivot Youef Benali netted four each, reported Qatar Tribune.

“It was a tough match but all credit to the boys. They were brilliant when it really came to the crunch. Our second straight Asian Games gold medal proves we’re the best team in the continent,” Qatar captain Abdulrazzaq Murad said.

Rivera was also ecstatic, saying it was a final that would go down as one of the best handball matches in history.

“It was a thrilling match. It could have gone either way but once we got into extra time, we gave Bahrain no chance. All the credit goes to the players for the hard work they put in. Of course, the support staff saw to it that everybody was physically and mentally fit,” the Spaniard said.

سعادة الشيخ جوعان بن حمد ال ثاني رئيس اللجنة الاولمبية القطرية يتوج ادعم كرة اليد بالذهب بدورة الالعاب الاسيوية 2018 #أنا_قطر

H. E. Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani, President of Qatar Olympic Committee awards our Handball team the Gold medal @asiangames2018 #IAMQATAR pic.twitter.com/ERbBXWUwyQ

— Team Qatar (@qatar_olympic) August 31, 2018

Qatar Handball Association President Ahmed Mohammed Abdulrab Al Shaabi dedicated the team’s gold medal to HH The Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, QOC President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and all Qatari fans.

“The achievements of the national men’s team in various continental and international tournaments is the result of unlimited support from the wise leadership to sport in general and handball in particular,” he was quoted as saying by The Peninsula.

Meanwhile, South Korea won the women’s handball gold with a 29-23 win over China.