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MENAFN- The Peninsula) Chinthana Wasala |The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Al Arabi have booked their place in the final of a major handball tournament for the second time in less than a week. Just two days after winning the prestigious Qatar Cup handball title, Al Arabi yesterday made it to the final of the Amir Cup Handball tournament, seeing off Al Wakrah 28-26 in a thrilling semi-final clash at the Al Duhail Indoor Hall.
Despite the tough challenge offered by Al Wakrah, Al Arabi, who trailed 12-14 at halftime, mounted a remarkable comeback in the second half to claim victory.
“It is an honor for every player to play in the Emir Cup final,” Al Arabi's Basil Mosa said after the win.
An Al Arabi player prepares to shoot.
“In the second half, we came back and were able to control the match. These matches can go up and down, but we succeeded,” Mosa, who played a pivotal role in Al Arabi's win, said.
“Today's win was thanks to a collective effort. Any player who excels on the court does so because of the collective effort. I see that any player who scores is served by the whole team. The secret lies in the group, not the individual players,” Mosa added.
In the title clash, which will be a rematch of Sunday's Qatar Cup final, they will take on Al Duhail who booked their place in the final after defeating last year's finalists Al Rayyan.
Al Duhail secured a 29-26 victory in the first semi-final after holding a slender 14-13 lead at halftime.
Al Rayyan, fresh off celebrating their 15th Qatar Handball League title earlier this month, aimed to end the season with another trophy. However, Al Duhail were determined to bounce back following their Qatar Cup final loss earlier this week.
Al Duhail's Ahmed Madadi, who was present at courtside to support his teammates despite recovering from an injury, yesterday hailed his team's effort in the semi-final.
“Despite the fatigue, following the final of Qatar Cup, they (Al Duhail players) played in the Amir Cup with fresh minds. The game was nerve-wracking, played to the smallest details. We managed to make only few mistakes, and thank God, we won,” Madadi said.
“As for my injury, it was just a minor injury. I don't want to watch the final match from the sidelines, I want to play. I believe we will be able to achieve more championships,” Madadi said.
“We missed two opportunities - the Qatar Cup and the League. God willing, the third time will be the charm, and it will be ours. We are trying to focus as much as we can in the final,” Madadi said.
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