Oman into the 2nd round of Beach Handball Championship
MUSCAT, JUNE 19
The Oman U-17 beach handball team advanced to the main round of the 2025 IHF Men's Junior Beach Handball World Championship following their impressive victory over Puerto Rico by 2-1 in their final group stage match late on Wednesday. The thrilling win took Oman junior stars in the second position of Group A behind the toppers Spain who led the group with two victories. The triumph meant, Oman earned their place among the top twelve teams of the tournament and now prepares to face European powerhouses including: Croatia, Germany and Hungary in the second round.
The win against Puerto Rico revived debutant Oman hopes to continue in the competitions of the global event. Oman team players suffered to a 2-0 loss against Spain but they bounced back strongly and displayed composure and resilience in a tightly contested encounter. Oman took the first half and ended at 10-8 while Puerto Rico managed to end the second half by 18-16. The match was decided via a penalty shootout as Oman's goalie Louay al Sulaimani made a crucial save and Oman's star player Salim al Oraimi scored the decisive point to seal a 9-8 shootout win.
With the winning result, Oman entered the main round carrying over their points from matches against Spain and Puerto Rico. In this stage and accordingly to playing format of the tournament, the top three teams from Group A will face the top three from Group B including: Germany, who ended as group topper, Croatia -finished in second place and Hungary who completed their group stage campaign in third place.
Oman team will meet Croatia earlier on Friday and then they will face Germany while they will conclude their matches by an encounter against Hungary late in the same day.
Oman assistant head coach Arif al Balushi expressed pride in the players' efforts and highlighted the importance of maintaining focus:' The win over Puerto Rico showed the team's character and ability to bounce back under pressure after the defeat against Spain in the opening game. We will face tough and elite European teams in the second phase of the tournament. The team players prepared well and are determined to compete with proper discipline and technique." He said
'The second round will be more challenging but our goal is to build on our momentum and secure a historic semifinal berth.' He ended
This edition of the IHF Junior Beach Handball World Championship is the largest in history, featuring 32 nations across the globe. Oman's participation was made possible through a recommendation from the Asian Handball Federation, following their fourth-place finish at the Asian event held in Thailand.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
6 hours ago
- Observer
Oman into the 2nd round of Beach Handball Championship
MUSCAT, JUNE 19 The Oman U-17 beach handball team advanced to the main round of the 2025 IHF Men's Junior Beach Handball World Championship following their impressive victory over Puerto Rico by 2-1 in their final group stage match late on Wednesday. The thrilling win took Oman junior stars in the second position of Group A behind the toppers Spain who led the group with two victories. The triumph meant, Oman earned their place among the top twelve teams of the tournament and now prepares to face European powerhouses including: Croatia, Germany and Hungary in the second round. The win against Puerto Rico revived debutant Oman hopes to continue in the competitions of the global event. Oman team players suffered to a 2-0 loss against Spain but they bounced back strongly and displayed composure and resilience in a tightly contested encounter. Oman took the first half and ended at 10-8 while Puerto Rico managed to end the second half by 18-16. The match was decided via a penalty shootout as Oman's goalie Louay al Sulaimani made a crucial save and Oman's star player Salim al Oraimi scored the decisive point to seal a 9-8 shootout win. With the winning result, Oman entered the main round carrying over their points from matches against Spain and Puerto Rico. In this stage and accordingly to playing format of the tournament, the top three teams from Group A will face the top three from Group B including: Germany, who ended as group topper, Croatia -finished in second place and Hungary who completed their group stage campaign in third place. Oman team will meet Croatia earlier on Friday and then they will face Germany while they will conclude their matches by an encounter against Hungary late in the same day. Oman assistant head coach Arif al Balushi expressed pride in the players' efforts and highlighted the importance of maintaining focus:' The win over Puerto Rico showed the team's character and ability to bounce back under pressure after the defeat against Spain in the opening game. We will face tough and elite European teams in the second phase of the tournament. The team players prepared well and are determined to compete with proper discipline and technique." He said 'The second round will be more challenging but our goal is to build on our momentum and secure a historic semifinal berth.' He ended This edition of the IHF Junior Beach Handball World Championship is the largest in history, featuring 32 nations across the globe. Oman's participation was made possible through a recommendation from the Asian Handball Federation, following their fourth-place finish at the Asian event held in Thailand.
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
Spain defeat Oman in opener of Beach Handball championship
MUSCAT, JUNE 18 The Oman U-17 national beach handball team began their campaign at the 2025 IHF Men's Junior Beach Handball World Championship with a challenging match against Spain. The national team players suffered to a 2-0 loss against the European giants in straight sets (12-24, 12-24) in their opening Group A fixture. Despite the defeat, Oman's junior stars showed strong display and promising performance beside their determination against one of the tournament favorites and a strong contender for the championship title. Spain, the 2018 Youth Olympic gold medalists, showcased their experience and clinical execution throughout both halves. Oman's standout performers were Yazan al Buraiki and Imad al Ghailani, who managed to contribute the majority of the team's points and created several offensive threats with their agility and sharp movement during the opening match. The tough encounter, however, also highlighted Spain's defensive strength, particularly their goalkeeper, who was a dominant presence throughout and thwarted several Omani scoring opportunities. With the triumph, Spain gained their first winning points while Oman met Puerto Rico late on Wednesday. The chances still high for the qualification to the second round due to Iran's withdrawal from the group. The first half saw Oman earned an initial possession after a strong defensive effort by Salim al Oraimi, but the team was unable to capitalise on early chances. Spain quickly bounced back and gained a two-point lead but Oman equalised through Yazan al Buraiki's aggressive play, bringing the score to 4-4. A series of missed chances and continued brilliance from Spain's goalkeeper allowed the Spanish team to pull away. Oman's head coach, Jaber Yaqub al Balushi, called a timeout to regroup but Spain extended their lead as they ended the first half at 24-12. In the following half, a similar scenario were delivered by national team players. Oman fought hard to gain momentum as Al Buraiki and Al Ghailani were stepping up. The match was tied as they reached to 6-6 draw in the early minutes but Spain gradually widened the gap to 14-6. After another timeout, Oman attempted a comeback as Al Ghailani made several successful runs down the right flank, scoring vital points. However, Spain maintained their dominance and sealed the match by taking the second half 24-12.
Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
Oman colts start beach handball campaign today
MUSCAT, June 17 The Oman U-17 beach handball team is all set to make their official debut at the 2025 IHF Men's Junior Beach Handball World Championship on Wednesday as they will take on Spain and Puerto Rico in back-to-back Group A clashes in Hammamet, Tunisia. The draw clubbed Oman into a competitive group featured Iran, Spain, and Puerto Rico. The group was reduced to three teams following Iran's official withdrawal due to the current situation there. With the top three teams in the group advancing automatically to the next round, Oman's focus now shifts to securing a favorable seeding heading into the second phase of the tournament. Oman team, coached by Jaber al Balushi, will play against Spain, a title contender and gold medalist at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, in a strong opener and it will be followed by a fixture against tournament newcomers Puerto Rico later in the same day. Oman head coach Jaber al Balushi affirmed that the team in best shape to begin their campaign in the World assignment. 'We are well-prepared to face the world's best in the opening game. Our recent friendly matches, especially the win against Tunisia, gave us confidence and helped us fine-tune our strategy beside the morale are very high of the players. We aim to put on a strong performance and secure momentum for the next round.' He said Oman played four warm-up matches in Tunisia as part of their build-up for the 2025 IHF Men's Junior Beach Handball World Championship. In the first preparatory match, the suffered to a 2-0 defeat against Senegal and another loss against Cook Islands by 2-0 and then narrowly defeated by Hungary (0-2). In the concluding match they raised their morale by a 2-1 victory over the hosts Tunisia. The final match, played at the main championship venue, allowed Oman to test their readiness under real competition conditions. Oman head coach Jaber al Balushi, Team Director Said al Hosni and administrative official Talib Afandi took part in the technical meeting held by the IHF where Oman's official kit, match schedule, and the amended group format following Iran's withdrawal were confirmed. The 2025 edition of the IHF Junior Beach Handball World Championship will feature 32 teams, marking the largest and most competitive edition to date. Oman's participation was made possible following a nomination from the Asian Handball Federation (AHF), after the team secured fourth place in the Asian Junior Beach Handball Championship in Thailand earlier this year and Qatar's withdraw from the event.
