Egypt have secured its spot in the quarter-finals of the 2023 World Men’s Handball Championship for the second consecutive time after beating fellow Arabic country Bahrain.
The Pharaohs had qualified top of their Group G in the preliminary round with a 100% win record ahead of Croatia, the United States, and Morocco.
Their group in the main round saw them join up with world champions Denmark, Bahrain, and Belgium as well as Croatia and the United States, who also had qualified with the Pharaohs.
Egypt started their journey to the quarter-finals with a vital 33-28 win over Belgium that put them top of the group as Denmark were held by Croatia.
The Denmark-Croatia draw not only meant that Egypt go top of the group, but that a win against Bahrain will be enough for them to reach the quarter-finals with a game in hand.
It wasn’t a straightforward game for the Pharaohs, but still, the Egyptians managed to end the first-half with a 13-9 lead, thanks to Karim Hendawy’s efforts.
The gap increased up to seven goals in the second-half and despite Bahrain’s late efforts to comeback, Egypt secured the tie 26-22 and earned a deserving victory.
The win saw Egypt sit top with eight points from four games, four ahead of third-placed Bahrain, meaning their last fixture against Denmark won’t affect their chances of advancing further in the tournament.
However, the Denmark game will possibly decide the winner of the group, with the second-place coming up against Sweden in the quarter-finals.
