Handball World Championship

Austria vs Qatar – LIVE from 20:30

Austria won the important duel against Qatar 28:26.(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Austria's handball team won a key game against Qatar on the second match day of the World Championship preliminary round in Porec. Ales Pajovic's team put in a spirited performance and did not let the bitter injury to Boris Zivkovic throw them off course. The result was a well-deserved 28:26 victory. 

Austria's handball players can continue to dream of reaching the quarter-finals at the World Championships. On Thursday, Lukas Hutecek and Co. defeated Qatar 28:26 (16:14) in Porec to not only secure their ticket to the main round, but also take two important points with them to Varazdin, where they are aiming for the quarter-finals. Their opponents in the second phase of the tournament from Tuesday will almost certainly be Hungary, the Netherlands and North Macedonia.

Austria showed a combative and concentrated performance.(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Before that, however, there will be a "bonus game" against record world champions France on Saturday (18:00). Austria will at least want to gain self-confidence for the remaining tasks.

Fans as a factor
Austria - spurred on by around 500 fans - got off to a good start in the match and were always two goals in front at the beginning. As expected, they struggled with shots from the backcourt in the absence of captain Mykola Bilyk and Janko Bozovic, but mostly found solutions via the wings or the circle. They also benefited several times from two-minute penalties for their opponents and did not warm up the Qatari goalkeepers.

Even the shoulder injury to Boris Zivkovic, who was playing in Bozovic's position, was to have no consequences after a quarter of an hour. While Qatar missed the chance to take the lead for the first time at 8:8, Red-White-Red seized the opportunity and pulled 10:8 ahead again. However, the Asian champions, led by the powerful Cuban-born Frankis Marzo, could not really be shaken off.

Frimmel proves unerring
Austria kept their nerve in a hectic opening spell after the break, coped well in attack and went into the final quarter of an hour with a four-plus lead, not least thanks to a brilliant wing Sebastian Frimmel (9 goals). A cushion that the increasingly helpless Qataris were unable to make up.

Sebastian Frimmel(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

As bitter as the Zivkovic injury is, the ÖHB was at least able to report the good news of Bozovic's operation off the pitch. The 39-year-old, who suffered a meniscus injury shortly before the start of the World Cup, was successfully operated on by team doctor Peter Valentin in Korneuburg on Wednesday and should be fit for action again after around two months.