Al-Sadd (QAT) vs. Atletico Madrid (ESP) and THW Kiel (GER) vs. Zamalek (EGY) are the semifinal fixtures of the 2012 edition of the IHF Super Globe in Doha, Qatar, which will be played on Friday. Mathematically the Qataris could have missed their berth for the round of the top 4 teams, but the hosts confirmed their spot by a clear victory in their final preliminary round match against Sydney. But as in their opener against Mudhar the Aussies fought bravely until the end –though they knew that they will finish last in group B with zero points on their account. Their opponent in their first placement round match will be decided in the final preliminary match of group A between El-Jaish (QAT) and Metodista (BRA).

 

Al-Sadd (QAT) – University of Sydney (AUS) 34:25 (17:10)

Though they had to play without their captain Christoph Niebel due to stomach problems, Sydney started strong and was close until minute 20, when the distance was only four goals at 9:5 for Al-Sadd. Their coach Patrice Canayer gave a lot of playing time to his Qatari players, but still the majority of his field squad were the “helping hands” from Montpellier.

But even against those professionals Sydney defended strong - despite the seven goal trail at the break. Cleverly and patiently they waited for their chances in the second half, knowing that they needed to keep the speed low and to shoot precisely to avoid a clear backlog.

And when Al-Sadd played high risk in minute 38, replacing the goalkeeper by an additional field - as they were shorthanded, Sydney’s goalkeeper Thomas Gertsch scored the 20:14, hitting the opposite net from his own goal. And his team-mates - inclusive the bench players - praised the goal by collective push-ups. And they celebrated even the 20:15, forcing Canayer to take his time-out. Then his team started to profit from their better individual skills and their bigger power reserves. But the distance remained below double-figured all the time, as Sydney still was alive, keeping the gap at approximately seven to mostly eight goals.

Statements after the match:

Philipp Enders, coach Sydney: The game consisted of two halves, one, when the players from Montpellier like Karabatic or Accambray were on the field and one, when more regular Qatari players were on the field. As we could not cope with Karabatic & Co., we were competitive in the other stages. We saw a certain development of our team. We’re getting stronger and more familiar with each other. We played a proper second half against the Qatari team.

Diego Liorente, player Sydney: After the really hard game against THW Kiel, the best team of the world, we fought until the end today, though we were losing powers. We could keep up the pace of the tournament even better.

Patrice Canayer, coach Al-Sadd: We are happy to be in the semifinal, but we hope to reach the final and why not win the IHF Super Globe? Our team is fitting more and more, as the Qatari players learn a lot from the Montpellier players. In my opinion, the Al-Sadd players are on a high level. Now we are looking forward to the match against Atletico Madrid – and we hope to win.

Wissem Hmam, player Al-Sadd: We are happy to be among the top four teams. It was a tougher match than expected for us.