A Qatari player shoots the ball during match against Malaysia.
Doha: Asian Games defending champions in handball, Qatar began their campaign on a resounding note by registering an emphatic 64-11 win over Malaysia in the Group A match in Indonesia, yesterday.
Anis Zouaoui led Qatar charge by top scoring with 18 goals while Abdulrazzaq Murad got his name on the scoreboard ten times.
Coach Valero Rivera team, winners of the Men’s Handball Team Championship in 2014, 2016 and 2018, besides the Asian Games title in Incheon four years back, went into the half time break leading 33-7 and they continued to dominate in the second session to emerge runaway winners.
“It was a good game. We have done our best and we will try to do so, Inshallah [God willing] until the final match. This is the first time we have participated in the Asian Games,” Alhail Yosuf, Qatar’s handball manager said while talking to reporters after the match.
Qatar next face Iran in their group match on August 17 and Yosuf said all matches will not be easy.
“The opponents will be very strong and we will think of other strategies in the next matches. Everything here is very good, Indonesians are very friendly. I am very satisfied with the transportation service as it only took 30 minutes from the athletes village to go here,” he added.
Malaysia coach Muhanmad Ali Shamsul Nizam was disappointed with the loss but said it was good learning experience.
“Qatar knows all our games, because we often play together. We have learned new experiences from these games. Some of our players are injured, while others are exhausted. We will try to change the strategy for the next game,” Nizam said.
In the other matches yesterday, in Group B Korea defeated Pakistan 47-16, in Group C, Hong Kong easily set aside the challenge of hosts Indonesia 40-17. In a group D match, Bahrain defeated Iraq 30-24.
Elsewhere, Chinese Taipei defeated India 38-28 in a Group D qualifying match .
Chinese Taipei captain Chiu Yifan was the joint top scorer notching eight goals from 13 shots on target.
India’s Harender Singh also bagged eight goals out of 13 shots on target.
Chinese Taipei’s victory put the team on top of Group D.
The 2018 Asian Games marks Chinese Taipei’s third appearance in the handball competition at the continental sporting event.
The team, coached by Yu Tekuei, finished eighth at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, after losing in the group stage.
India’s men’s handball team was ranked 14th at the 2014 Asian Games, while it ranked 12th at the 2018 Asian Men’s Handball Championship in Suwon, South Korea.
Besides Qatar, Bahrain and South Korea are serious challengers at the 2018 Asian Games.
