(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Chinthana Wasala
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The Peninsula
Doha: Qatar went down fighting to title-holders Croatia in a gripping Group II encounter at the IHF Men's Beach Handball World Championships which continued in China, yesterday.
At the Pingtan International Beach Sports Base in Pingtan Island, Qatar put up a spirited performance but ultimately succumbed to a 18-20, 19-20 defeat in their first match in the main round.
Despite Croatia's status as favourites, Qatar managed to pose a huge threat in the crucial encounter last afternoon.
However, Croatia got the better of Qatar in the opening period to take a 1-0 lead with Lucian Bura causing the biggest damage to the Asian champions.
Qatar came back stronger in the second period, pushing Croatia to their limits, but the Europeans finally managed to get away with another narrow period victory, wrapping up the match with 2-0 win.
Amir Nowraddine Denguir and Hani Marwan Kakhi led Qatar's attack with impressive performances, scoring 11 and 12 points respectively, but their efforts were not enough to secure a win for their team.
Bura emerged as the top scorer for Croatia with a remarkable 18 points and was well-supported by Ivan Dumencic who added 12 points to their tally.
The victory took Croatia to second spot in the Group II points table, which is led by Germany who yesterday defeated Argentina 2-0 (21-14, 18-12).
Portugal, who beat USA 2-0 (23-18, 23-17) in another Group II match yesterday, are third on the list. The USA are fourth, followed by Qatar in fifth place, and Argentina sixth.
Croatia and Germany remain unbeaten in the tournament to date, while Qatar will have to secure full points and hope other results turn in their favour to have any hope of advancing to the quarter-finals. The top four teams from each group will reach the quarter-finals which begin tomorrow.
Qatar will face Argentina and Portugal today.
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