Oman to clash with Qatar in Asian Beach Handball final

MUSCAT, June 22 - Oman secured their place at the IHF Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball World Championship in Italy in 2020 as they outplayed Vietnam 2-0 in the semifinal of the seventh Asian Beach Handball Championship in China on Saturday. The Sultanate team will lock horns with Asian giants Qatar in the final which is to be held on Monday, which will be the final day of the championship. The GCC team Qatar blanked Iran 2-0 in the semis and booked a slot in the final. Earlier in Weihai City, Oman topped the group after registering four victories against Saudi Arabia, Japan, Pakistan and Iran. Oman had suffered one loss to Thailand in this championship. The team dominated in the championship and reached the final after blanking Vietnam in the semis.

Hamood al Hasani’s boys overwhelmed Vietnam team after a thrilling two sets. In the first set, the competitions was very tough between both teams as they were looking to book a slot in the final. Oman’s players succeeded in wrapping up the set with a 13-12 margin. The Sultanate’s star Asad al Hasani was the winning key as he scored many points in the set and supported the team in reaching the final after finishing the second set 18-16. The coaching staff of the national team headed by the experienced national coach, Hamood al Hasani, is fully aware about the technical level of Qatar players. Oman had played against Qatar in many previous tournaments at Asian and international levels. Al Hasani instructed the players during the final training session to exploit the scoring chances and minimise the mistakes. Oman players are keen to end their campaign at the Asian Championship by lifting the crown in tomorrow’s match.

Oman is just a step away from reaching the pinnacle of Asian beach handball. The Sultanate will play in Beach Handball Worlds in Italy in 2020 for their sixth time. The first participation for the team was in 2004 in Egypt. Then, the Sultanate team finished in the eighth place during the Beach Handball Worlds in Oman in 2012. In Brazil, Oman was placed at the 12th position in 2014. The best results for the national team were in Hungary as they were positioned in seventh place in 2016. In the last participation in Russia in 2018, Oman finished in 12th position.