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Qatar eliminate Germany in last 16

January 22, 2017

Qatar saved their best handball for the end, completing their comeback against Germany with just over two minutes to go. The result was a disappointing one for the current European title holders.

https://p.dw.com/p/2WE36
Handball WM Deutschland - Katar
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Murat

After coasting through the group stage, Germany fell at the hands of Qatar in the last 16, losing 21-20 on Sunday.

Raffael Capote (pictured above, left) was the hero for Qatar, scoring nine goals in the game. His last was his best as it put Qatar up 21-20 with just over two minutes to go.

Coach Dagur Sigurdsson's squad had handled Qatar in the 2016 Olympics in Rio rather easily, winning 34-22 in the quarterfinals. But they couldn't hold off Qatar this time, conceding three goals in the last five minutes. 

"We didn't score enough goals. There is no explanation for that," German player Paul Drux said after the match.

This was the last match in charge of the national team for coach Sigurdsson, who last year led Germany to the European championship and a bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Icelandic coach now moves on to take charge of Japan's national program.

Qatar, who were runners-up in the World Championship in 2015, will face Slovenia in the quarterfinals.

dv/pfd (SID, dpa)