Rabat: Qatar under-17 national handball team concluded its participation in the inaugural edition of the World Cup held in Morocco, finishing in fourth place after losing to Spain 23-35 in the third-place and bronze medal match on Saturday.

The match between Qatar and Spain came amid high hopes of achieving a historic feat and claiming the bronze medal, after Qatar had advanced to the semifinals as the best second-placed team in the group stage.

Qatar finished runner-up in Group B, earning two victories against Tunisia (38-30) and South Korea (45-24), and suffering one loss against Spain (23-41).

In the semifinals, Qatar lost to Germany (22-39), which led them to play the third-place match against Spain. Despite the score difference, the Qatari players delivered a strong performance and showed great fighting spirit.

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Reaching the semifinals of the tournament marks a continuation of the remarkable international successes achieved by Qatari handball at various levels, most notably the silver medal won at the World Men's Handball Championship held in Doha in 2015. This achievement reflects the ongoing development of Qatar's youth programs and the national team's consistent presence among the top competitors worldwide.

As for the final match, it brought together the Egyptian and German teams, and ended with Germany's victory (44-43) after extra time, during which the Germans secured the win following a marathon match full of dramatic turns.

Germany led the first half (18-17) before Egypt rallied in the second half and came close to victory. However, the Germans scored an equalizer in the final seconds, then clinched the title of the inaugural edition of the championship in extra time.

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