(MENAFN- The Peninsula) chinthana wasala |
The Peninsula
Qatar's Al Duhail yesterday moved closer to the semi-finals of the 2023 Asian Men's Club League Championship with an outstanding 40-26 win over Junior Club of China, in their penultimate Group B match played in Isfahan, Iran.
In a thrilling match held at the 25th Aban Arena, Al Duhail showcased their superiority over their Chinese counterparts right from the start as they took a 20-15 lead by the half time. The five-time champions (three as El Jaish) then doubled their score in the second half while the Junior Club added 11 to their goal tally.
With this resounding victory, Al Duhail solidified their position at the top of the group with 6 points from three wins and would guarantee their advancement to the semi-finals if they win their remaining Group B match against Shahid Shameli Kazeroon of Iran today.
Al Duhail's journey in the championship started with a win against Uzbekistan's RKOR Tashkent (39-26) before they suffered a narrow defeat against Nahrain's Al Najma SC (26-28). However, they quickly rebounded by securing a remarkable victory against defending champions Al Kuwait (38-35) on Saturday.
Also yesterday, former champions Al Rayyan suffered their first defeat in the tournament when they went down fighting to Kuwaiti club Kazma in their third Group Group A match at the same venue.
Despite trailing 8-14 at half time, Al Rayyan staged a fierce attack in the second half, but fell just one point short as they lost 26-27 in one of the most gripping encounters in this year's tournament so far.
Al Rayyan had previously beaten Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan of Iran (31-23) and India's T-Sports Club (35-15).
A win over Oman Club today in their final Group A encounter will ensure their qualification for the semi-finals.
The semi-finals will take place on Thursday, followed by the title-clash on June 10.
The tournament serves as a qualifying event for the highly anticipated 2023 IHF Men's Super Globe, with top team from the event receiving direct tickets for the event to be held in Dammam, Saudi Arabia in October.
It's worth mentioning that Qatar's Al Sadd hold the record for the most titles in the history of the tournament, having claimed the prestigious trophy five times.
MENAFN06062023000063011010ID1106395134
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.