MUSCAT, June 19 -
Oman national beach handball team suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Thailand at the seventh Asian Beach Handball Championship in China on Wednesday.
Oman, coached by Hammod al Hasani, tasted their first defeat in the championship after three consecutive victories against Pakistan, Japan and Saudi Arabia in group B matches which also include Iran and Thailand.
Oman claimed the first set 21-14 but Thailand came back strongly in the second half to win it 17-14.
In the decider, Thailand edged out Oman 7-6 to earn three points to their kitty.
After the defeat, Oman now need to take three points from their match against Iran on Thursday to secure a slot in the semifinal. A loss will mean the Sultanate team competes for placement matches.
On the other hand, Iran who are leading the group by 12 points, will not be an easy opponent for the Sultanate. The head technical coach of Oman reviewed with players in the last training sessions to overcome the technical mistakes against Thailand match and focus in the last group match against Asia giants.
In the other matches of the championship, Iran beat Pakistan 2-1 in a thriller, Qatar edged Chinese Taipei 2-0 while Vietnam drubbed Afghanistan 2-0, Japan beat Saudi Arabia 2-1 and Philippines blanked Indonesia 2-0.
The best three teams at the Asian meet in China will also qualify for the IHF Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball World Championship in Italy in 2020.
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