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January 25, 2025Hungary overcame a somewhat hesitant start with a commanding second-half performance to defeat Qatar, 29:23, and secure their place in the quarter-finals, the sixth team to do so at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship.
MAIN ROUND GROUP II
Qatar vs Hungary 23:29 (12:12)
Qatar had a blistering start to the game, making Hungary nervous with their 3-2-1 defence and by the seventh minute, they had a fantastic lead, 3:0. Chema Rodiriguez’s team had trouble finding the gaps in Qatar’s defence and did not find the back of the net up until the eighth minute when Gergö Fazekas ended the negative run and scored Hungary’s maiden goal in the game.
However, Hungary’s woes continued as Anadin Sulijakovic showcased a great performance between the posts, saving six shots for a 67% efficiency in the first 18 minutes. The goals did not come fast, but when the drought ended, it was once again Qatar that was in front by three goals, 7:4, putting Hungary under serious pressure.
The European side finally found their rhythm and stepped up a gear in the last ten minutes of the first half. They had their own 7:3 run and within eight minutes, they celebrated Adrián Sipos’s lob goal to level at 10:10. Their newfound energy allowed teams to also go to a break while still in deadlock, 12:12.
As the second half threw off, it looked like Qatar slowly started to falter, not having the same spark and having problems scoring from the back line. Left back Žarko Marković was left with one goal in seven shots, and it prompted head coach Veselin Vujović to call for a team time-out and demand from his players not to waste their attack and shots just seconds in, as that was their downfall in the opening minutes.
Hungary needed only five minutes to change the course and set a 16:13 lead, and they never looked back. Hungary showcased a completely different game, hitting their first four-goal lead midway through the second half and improving their attacking efficiency, backed by Kristóf Palasics’ performance between the posts.
On course to an important victory, Hungary forced Qatar into mistakes, never allowing them back into the contest. Ultimately, Rodriguez’s side secured a 29:23 win and left Qatar with only one win at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, against Kuwait. Bence Imre led Hungary with nine goals, Kristóf Palasics had 11 saves, while Žarko Marković came to a late wake-up, netting six for Qatar.
For Veselin Vujović’s team, the road to the World Championship ends here, Hungary will travel to Zagreb with France where they will play the first knock-out match against the first-placed team from Main Round Group IV – a place still in the run between Croatia, Egypt and Iceland.
Qatar will likely finish 21st in the competition – the final placements will be decided after Sunday’s last matches – outside of the top-20 for the second time in the last two editions of the IHF Men’s World Championship, after they finished 22nd at Poland/Sweden 2023.
hummel Player of the Match: Kristóf Palasics (Hungary)