Team Qatar lose to North Macedonia in World Handball Championship

alt
January 23, 2025
handball
feed type icon
23-January-2025

Team Qatar lose to North Macedonia in World Handball Championship

Zagreb: North Macedonia secured a crucial victory over Qatar, defeating the Asian champions 39:34 in a high-scoring encounter. Kiril Lazarov's side kept their quarter-final hopes alive, while Qatar suffered their second consecutive defeat in the main round.  

The game started with a strong statement from North Macedonia, who stormed to a 6:2 lead in the opening six minutes. Despite their initial struggles, Qatar, led by their top scorer Frankis Marzo, fought back to level the score at 10:10 in the 14th minute. Marzo delivered a stellar performance, contributing 12 goals, but Qatar's defense faltered as the match wore on.  

As fatigue set in, Qatar's defensive cohesion waned, allowing North Macedonia to exploit gaps with relentless attacking plays. Two decisive 3:0 runs in the final 10 minutes of the first half widened the gap, with Qatar enduring a six-minute goal drought. By halftime, the European side led 21:17, having established control of the game.  

In the second half, Qatar showed glimpses of recovery, narrowing the deficit to three goals at 23:26. However, the momentum swung back to North Macedonia when Marko Stojkovikj's red card was followed by a red card for Qatar's Amine Guehis. The latter's two-minute suspension proved costly, as the European side capitalized to extend their lead to five goals.  

North Macedonia's balanced attack, featuring contributions from 13 of their 14 outfield players, proved too much for Qatar. Filip Kuzmanovski, Nenad Kosteski, and Zharko Peshevki led the charge, while Nikola Mitrevski and Marko Kizikj delivered key moments in goal.  

The 39 goals scored by North Macedonia marked the highest tally Qatar has conceded at the 2025 World Championship, hosted across Croatia, Denmark, and Norway. With this victory, North Macedonia celebrated their second win of the tournament, fueled by loud support from the stands, and kept their slim quarter-final hopes alive.  

For Qatar, the defeat ended their chances of progressing further. The team remains on zero points in the main round, with their sole victory coming against Kuwait in the preliminary stage.