The Denmark national team defeated Qatar 32:23 in the first match of the main round of the World Championship in Egypt. The winner was known after the first half.
Denmark went into halftime with a five-goal advantage (17:12), and the key was the 11:6 series with which Denmark outplayed Qatar from the 15th to the 30th minute.
In the second half, Denmark reached the biggest advantage of +10 (23:13), mostly thanks to Denmark’s 5:0 series from the 34th to the 38th minute. By the end, Qatar managed to reduce the score to -9. Among the winners, PSG player Mikkel Hansen was the best with six goals, while Qatar was led by Cuban shooter Frankis Marzo with ten goals. The goalkeepers did not excel, but seven defenses by Niklas Landin can be singled out.
In the next round on Saturday, Denmark will play against Japan and Qatar against Bahrain. From 6 pm, Croatia will play against Argentina in the same group, and a victory would ensure Croatia’s spot in the quarterfinals. Lino Cervar’s team would then have seven points, three more than Argentina and Qatar (if Qatar defeats Bahrain).
In the last round on Monday, Croatia will play against Denmark for first place and a more favorable draw in the quarterfinals, where possible opponents are Sweden, Egypt, and Slovenia, the top three teams in the group with which Croatia overlaps.
Recall, Croatia topped Bahrain (28:18) in the first match of the main round (28:18) on Thursday evening. Marin Sego was named the player of the match.
“We made a few mistakes at the back at times,” said Cervar after the victory. “I trust my players. I am totally happy with the win. The match against Argentina will be a big one; we have to focus because they have done really well so far.”
“I think we did well and were able to win. We have a big match coming up against Argentina, and it’s our way into the next round, and then we have world champions Denmark. We are fully focused on Argentina, though,” added Zlatko Horvat.
Source: Index.hr
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