Al Arabi defeats Al-Qurain and advances to the Cup quarter-finals

Al-Arabi advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2025-2026 IHF Cup handball tournament after defeating their rivals Al-Qurain 38-35 in the match held this evening at the handball hall within the Sheikh Saeed Al-Abdullah Sports Complex, which marked the opening of the preliminary round.

With this result, Al-Arabi set up a quarter-final clash with Al-Kuwait Club, while Al-Qurain were eliminated from the tournament.

The match was characterized by speed and strength from the outset, but Al-Arabi gradually asserted their dominance thanks to rapid transitions from defense to attack and effective offensive play, complemented by strong shots from their backcourt players, particularly South Korean Kim Jin and Hamad Al-Adwani, who exploited the gaps between Al-Qurain’s defenders, who relied on a 6-0 zone defense. In attack, foreign players Estonian Dinier and German Spon stood out with their backcourt shooting, but Al-Qurain’s haste in execution gave Al-Arabi the opportunity to end the first half leading 22-18.

In the second half, Al-Qurain managed to reorganize their ranks and narrow the gap, taking advantage of a dip in Al-Arabi’s performance, until they equalized at 30-30 in the 20th minute.