IHF
Varazdin (Croatia)
Qatar and the Netherlands delivered another roller-coasters emotions in Varazdin, Croatia, after the first main round match of Group II of the IHF World Championship 2025 saw Kiril Lazarov’s side seal a point against Austria, in the same manner.
In a close game, the Netherlands staged a comeback in the second half and, with secured a stunning 38-37 (19-17) victory for their third win in the competition in the last second of the match. Qatar, who were left empty-handed again, are still without a win against a European team.
Qatar came out strong, pushing the Netherlands to their limits with powerful backcourt shooting as their main weapon. Leading the charge was Frankis Marzo, the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship top scorer, who delivered an extraordinary nine goals in the first half.
Staffan Olsson’s side managed to snatch the lead briefly between the eighth and 11th minute, but for most of the first half, they found themselves trailing and constantly chasing Qatar’s determined team.
The first turning point came in the final 10 minutes of the half when Abdulrazzaq Ahmad Murad scored his first goal to give Qatar their largest lead yet, 15:12. With the momentum on their side, the Asian champions tightened their defence in an attempt to widen the gap further. However, their aggressive defence came at a cost, as repeated fouls left them shorthanded with suspensions.
It all culminated in the last three minutes of the first half when Qatar faced a triple suspension, and the Netherlands were on the run to tie the scored. Olsson’s side seized the opportunity, cutting the deficit to one at 18:17, but they did not capitalise more, while Qatar proved that they are determined to take something in this match.
Despite being outnumbered, with four players in the attack and playing without a goalkeeper, the Asian side managed to score, while Anadin Sulijakovic made two crucial saves after sprinting back into goal, leaving Dutch fans in disbelief in the stands.
The Netherlands wrestled back in the second half, shifted up a gear and tied the score, 26:26, after a great series of goals by Luc Steins and Kay Smits, with 15 minutes to go. They did have the help of goalkeeper Bart Ravensbergen who started between the posts and as they continued in their recognisable fast pace, Qatar slowly faltered.
A completely new game started as we hit the 48th minute on the clock, with Steins being once again instrumental for his side, setting the Netherlands’ first lead, 30:29,after 40 minutes of play. From that moment on, it was a close game with a new set of trading leads, pushing the game into uncertainty right until the end.
Qatar were under pressure, especially when the Netherlands set 37:35 three minutes before the end, but Veselin Vujović’s players did not give up and, 18 seconds before the final whistle, netted for 37:37. And then, another magic happened, after the first match also saw a last-gasp goal from Kiril Lazarov’s team against Austria.
For the second time today in Varaždin, the spectators were left on the edge of their seats as they witnessed another buzzer-beater. With a low scoring chance, right back Niels Versteijnen jumped and scored an unbelievable goal, saving the Dutch win, 38:37, despite his left-handed shot being a difficult one to attempt.
Apart from Versteijnen, the Netherlands’ heroes were Dani Baijens with nine goals, and Luc Steins and Rutger Ten Velde who netted seven each. Zarko Markovic joined Frankis Marzo, with the two netting eight and 11 goals, respectively.
The Netherlands are now in a good situation with four points and will seek to extend their winning streak against favourites France on Thursday.
Qatar are on zero points and will try to get back on track in the next game against North Macedonia.
