12 hours ago
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.
