(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Chinthana Wasala / The Peninsula
SUWON, SOUTH KOREA: Defending champions Qatar snatched an early lead in Group 2 of the main draw of Asian Handball Championship when they thrashed Japan by a margin of 40-23 yesterday. At the Suwon Gymnasium in Suwon, South Korea, Qatar led 19-9 at half time.
Frankis Marzo and Houssem Romane were the top contributors for Qatar, adding five goals each.
Adam Yuki Baig, Shinnosuke Tokuda and Hiroki Shida scored three goals each for the losing side.
The victory also extended Qatar's unbeaten run to four games in South Korea.
Elsewhere, in the second match of the same group, Bahrain outplayed United Arab Emirates 28-22 yesterday.
The wins have earned both Qatar and Bahrain two points each, but Al Annabi are at the top of the group depending on the goal difference.
In Group 1, Saudi Arabia and hosts South Korea recorded wins in their Group 1 matches against Iran and Oman respectively.
Qatar booked their place in the main round following an impressive run in the first round where they topped Group D. Al Annabi defeated Saudi Arabia, China and New Zealand to storm into the main round with flying colours.
Al Annabi will meet Bahrain in their next match of the main group today, followed by the third and final match against United Arab Emirates tomorrow.
The top two teams in the group will qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament which will conclude on next Sunday.
The top four teams will make it to the Handball World Cup which will take place in Denmark and Germany in 2019.
MENAFN2201201800630000ID1096381130
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.