Qatar drub Iraq for second successive win

Tribune News Network DOHA Defending champions Qatar defeated Iraq 37-22 for their second consecutive victory at the 20th Asian Men’s Handball Championship...

Tribune News NetworkDOHA Defending champions Qatar defeated Iraq 37-22 for their second consecutive victory at the 20th Asian Men’s Handball Championship at the Ministry of Sports Hall in Dammam on Wednesday.After a splendid performance against Oman in their opening Group C match, the four-time winners continued their fine show against Iraq and led the first half 17-9 before sealing another dominant victory. Qatar, who are on brink of entering the main round after the big win, will play their final preliminary round match against the UAE today. In other Group C match yesterday, UAE bounced back after the loss to Iraq on inaugural day, edging past Oman 24-23 after a tough battle. Oman after suffering back-to-back defeats will face Iraq in their last match on Wednesday. The 16 participating teams of the event are split into an initial four groups of four teams each, with the teams ranked first and second progressing into two main round groups. The top two teams in each main round group will then move into the semi-finals, followed by medal matches.Meanwhile, Kuwait continued their winning momentum, outwitting Singapore 43-14 in Group A while nine-time winners South Korea also notched up another victory after a hard-fought win over Jordan 27-24 in other match of the group. In Group B, hosts Saudi Arabia claimed full after outclassing Australia 30-13 while Iran prevailed over India 42-29 to continue their impressive run. Qatar will play UAE on Thursday while Oman and Iraq square off Hong Kong and Bahrain were victorious in their respective Group D matches. Results: Group A: Kuwait beat Singapore 43-14; South Korea beat Jordan 27-24 Group B: Iran beat India 42-29; Saudi Arabia beat Australia 30-13Group C: Qatar beat Iraq 37-22 (17-9); UAE beat Oman 24-23 (14-15)Group D: Hong Kong beat Vietnam 31-27; Bahrain beat Uzbekistan 35-19.