MUSCAT, June 16 - Oman secured their second consecutive win in the seventh Asian Beach Handball Championship with an impressive win against Japan on Sunday. The Sultanate team blanked Asian giants Japan 2-0 in the championship which is under way in China until June 22.
Oman, coached by Hamood al Hasani, warded off the Japanese challenge to grab the first set 21-16. The Sultanate stars continued their dominance in the second set and won it 18-8.
With their second win, Oman now have six points in the group. The Sultanate team had commenced its campaign at Asian tournament with a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Oman are placed in Group B along with Iran, Thailand, Pakistan, Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Iran also have six points in the group with two wins.
The 12-team championship is also the qualifier for the IHF Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball World Championship in Italy 2020.
The top-three teams in China will advance to the world championship in Italy next year.
In the other matches, Qatar won their second match against Indonesia 2-0. They beat Philippines 2-0 in the opening round. Iran did the same as they outclassed Thailand 2-1 after beating Japan 2-1 in the first match. Vietnam registered their second win as they overcame Chinese Taipei 2-0 while they edged out Afghanistan 2-0 in the first match.
Hamood al Hasani’s men will look to capture all three points and lead the table when they take on Pakistan on Monday in their third match.
The Oman team players are keen to lift the title in this edition as they were very close in the previous edition. Oman lost to Qatar in the final of the last edition. Oman’s experienced coach Hamood al Hasani has prepared the squad well for the Asian championship.
On the other hand, Omani referees Ayad al Mashari and Waleed al Sinani are continuing to officiate matches at the Asian Championship. Both the umpires had officiated in many regional, continental and international championships. Al Mashari and Al Sinani passed the theoretical tests prior the tournament start.
Oman squad: Asaad al Hassani, Hussein al Jabri, Ashraf al Hassani, Hani al Deghishi (Muscat Club), Abdullah al Roomi, Hamoud al Mamari (Sohar), Osama al Kasbi, Mahdi al Sulaimani, Yasir al Harthi, Ahmad al Hinai, Adil al Balushi, Basem al Rahbi (Seeb), Hadeifa al Siyabi, Marai al Harthy, Azzan al Maheshri, Muhannad al Zarafi (Ahli Sidab) and Abdul Aziz al Majrfi (Oman Club)
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