The national team continues its 100% winning streak in the Asian Men’s Handball Championship in Saudi Arabia, rendering the team one match away from semi-finals.

Qatar beat Uzbekistan this Monday with its biggest margin yet—improving its chance to reach the semi-finals.

The national team dominated the first half, as they began the game by leading 28-7. The Maroons continued their dominant display finishing the game 46-15, in Dammam.

This is their fifth consecutive win in the tournament.

Read also: Qatar’s maroons favorite to win Asian championship 

The win makes Qatar the sole lead of the first group with a game to spare, as it also makes them the highest scoring and best defensive team in the group stages for both groups.

This is not enough, however, to qualify for a spot in the semi-finals, as winners are awarded two points and losers zero. As it stands, second-place Saudi Arabia and third-place South Korea have two points each.

Qatar can fail to qualify despite its winning record if it loses its next game against South Korea, leading it to tie in points but losing out on the head-to-head score.

Group two saw good performances from Bahrain and Iran as they extended their winning streak in the group stages.

Iran had the closest encounter at halftime during this round, tying at 11 apiece. The team later managed to get a win by one point, finishing 27-26 against Kuwait.

Bahrain also had a hard fight leading Iraq 18-15 at half time and finishing 34-31.

With only two dominant teams in the group, Iran and Bahrain have secured their places in the semi-final with a game to spare.

The last game will see tournament hosts Saudi Arabia facing Uzbekistan, as Qatar faces their biggest challenge yet—South Korea.

It is make or break for both teams as the winner of the match will move on to the semi-finals.

Historically, South Korea had won the Asian Men’s Handball Championship nine times, more than any other team, though Qatar have been crowned champions in the last 4 editions.

The match against South Korea will kick off at 5pm Doha time, on Wednesday 26 January.

Standings for the semi-finals qualifications are as follows:

Group 1
Qatar (4 pts)
Saudi Arabia (2 pts)
South Korea (2 pts)
Uzbekistan (0 pts)

Group 2
Bahrain (4 pts)  (qualified for semis)
Iran (4 pts) (qualified for semis)
Iraq (0 pts)
Kuwait (0 pts)

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