Qatar lose to Saudi Arabia in Arab U-17 opener
The national Under-17 team, participating in the Arab Championship for the first time, go down fighting.
Qatar’s Under-17 team opened its campaign in the Arab Championship with a loss against Saudi Arabia. Photo: Qatar Handball Association TwitterQatar’s Under-17 team began their campaign in the Arab Championship on a wrong note, losing to Saudi Arabia 25-30 at Hammamet, Tunisia, on Sunday.
Qatar trailed 12-14 at half-time.
The team, which recently attended a 10-day training camp in Slovenia as part of preparations for the tournament, matched Saudi Arabia’s pace in the first half. But they were unable to keep the momentum in the second.
The Qatar team prior to the start of their game against Saudi Arabia. Photo: Qatar Handball Association TwitterQatar’s Serbian coach Ivan Petkovic said he would like to focus on the positives from the game.
“It was the team’s first official competitive match and they did well under the circumstances. The players made a few technical errors, but they can all be rectified. I’m confident my boys can do a better job in their next game,” he told Inside Qatar from Hammamet.
Qatar will next play Morocco on Monday. The team is using the Arab event as a launchpad for their preparations for the Asian Under-19 Championships in July, 2020.
