Kuwait Handball Blue face Bahrain in 10th Arab Cup

Kuwait Times

08-05-2025

KUWAIT: Kuwait handball national team will face a new and important challenge when it meets Bahrain in the semi-final round of the 10th Arab Cup, which is hosted by Kuwait until May 11 at Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex Arena. It will be preceded by an equally important match between Qatar and Egypt. Within the consolation rounds of the 'Arab Cup' from 5-9, two matches will be held on Friday, the first between Tunisia and Morocco, with Saudi Arabia to play Iraq.
The 'Handball Blue' seeks, when it meets the 'Bahraini Red' to continue its successful journey and achieve the third consecutive victory and book its place in the final match of the Arab championship, armed with the factors of land and home fans.
The 'Blue' advanced to the final of the tournament after topping the third group with two wins over Morocco 39-29 and UAE 32-24, while Bahrain qualified as the first from the first group after beating Iraq 28-26 and Egypt 36-32. Icelandic coach Oren will try to capitalize on the high morale and the outstanding performance of his players in the first round to cross Bahrain, relying on the brilliance of Abdullah Al-Khamis, Saif Al-Adwani, Haider Dashti, Abdulaziz Daif and the distinguished guard Hassan Safar.
On the other hand, Bahrain coach Beredraj hopes to counter the ambition of the Blue with collective performance and speed in the transition from defense to attack, based on his group of young players led by veterans Hussein Al-Sayyad and goalkeeper Mohammed Abdulhussain.
Qatar and Egypt
In the second match, the Qatari 'Al-Anabi' is looking to continue its strong performances, relying on the combination of its young players supported by a number of experienced players to achieve victory and advance to the final match, while the 'Pharaohs', who qualified as the best second place in the tournament, hope to make up for their loss against Bahrain and beat Qatar.
The joy of the Blue players
The players of Kuwait national handball team expressed their happiness after beating their UAE counterpart in the third round of the preliminary round of the 10th Arab Cup, and topping the third group deservedly.
Abdulaziz Al-Shammari, the 'Blue' star, said that achieving victory in two matches, topping the group and qualifying for the semi-finals is the least we can do for our beloved Kuwait and the loyal fans.
He continued: 'We are proud to hold the Arab Handball Cup in Kuwait after the tournament was absent for 23 years, and holding it in the country of friendship and peace, and among the Blue fans, is a source of pride for us.' Regarding the match against the UAE, Al-Shammari explained that the team did not provide the hoped-for level, but what is important is to achieve victory. He pointed out that the preparation for meeting Bahrain in the semifinals Friday started since the end of the UAE match.