By Abdellatif Sharaa
KUWAIT: The 38th Gulf Handball Cup tournament will enter its decisive stage on Thursday with two semifinal matches. Kuwait Club, which lead group one, will play Saudi Arabia's Mudar, which is in second place in group two at 5:00 pm. At 7:00 pm, Bahrain's Najma will play Qatar's Al-Ahli. Kuwait Club on Tuesday defeated Al-Ahli 28-19 to collect 6 points and go on top of the standings. Al-Ahli is second with 4 points, UAE's Al-Jazeera third with 2 points and Muscat last without any points. Kuwait's player Saleh Al-Musawi received the best player's award at the end of the match.
In the last match of group two, Al-Najma defeated Salmiya from Kuwait 34-30. Najma top the standings with 4 points, while its player Mohammad Habeeb was selected best player. Mudar are in second place with 2 points, while Salmiya are pointless in third place. Al-Jazeera will play Mudar for the fifth and sixth places, while Muscat remain in seventh.
Salmiya coach Dr Ahmad Foulad said he is satisfied with the technical performance Salmiya displayed during its match with Al-Najma, despite the loss. "Despite the absence of three key players, we were able to keep up with one of the best teams in Asia, but finally experience gave Al-Najma the edge," he said. Salmiya player Haidar Dashti congratulated Al-Najma for their win and being on top of the standings in group two. "We had a satisfactory performance during our matches, but results were not as hoped for. But the gains we had can compensate for the bitterness the players feel," he said.
Former national and Kuwait Club players Waleed Ali and Jarrah Al-Ateeqi asked fans to attend Kuwait's match with Mudar and back the team to reach the final. "Our duty is to be behind any Kuwaiti team that participates in any international event," Waleed Ali said, with teammate Jarrah Al-Ateeqi seconding his call.
Member of the technical committee of the tournament said the Gulf clubs tournament is the strongest as far as the technical level is concerned, adding that this is due to the presence of experienced professional players. He said the four teams that qualified for the semifinals are the best and most deserving to compete for the title.