Five-time champions Qatar defeated the title-holders Iran 23-18, 23-20 in a thrilling contest to book a place in the semi-finals of the 9th Asian Beach Handball Championships in Bali, Indonesia, on Wednesday. Qatar, unbeaten in the Championship so far, having beaten Saudi Arabia 2-0 (26-17, 24-17), Philippines 2-0 (17-14, 28-14) and South Korea 2-0 (23-17, 25-9) in their previous Group A matches, topped the table with eight points. Al Annabi, the runners-up in the previous edition, will take on Vietnam who finished second in Group B, in the semi-final on Thursday. Meanwhile, in Group B, Oman topped the table with their fifth straight win in Bali to make it to the semi-finals. They will meet Group A runner-up Iran as they seek their sixth appearance in the title clash. The tournament serves as a qualification tournament for the 2024 IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championships.
