Zamalek's handball won the bronze medal in the IHF Super Globe Men's Handball Club Championship in Qatar on Friday night. They beat Al-Sadd of Lebanon 33-22 in the third and fourth round. At the breather, Zamalek led 12-8. Ahmed el-Ahmar scored 13 goals for Zamalek, while Belal Awad notched six and Mohamed Sanad five. For Lebanon's Al-Sadd, Petar Kapisoda scored six goals. "We tried our best to make it to the final. However, we're happy with third place, especially after that close semi-final match against Qatar's Al-Sadd," said Zamalek's coach Ahmed De'bes. "Considering that our players were exhausted coming into the tournament after a long season, this result is heartening." Meanwhile, Spain's Ciudad Real retained their title in the IHF Super Globe, brushing aside the challenge from Qatar's Al-Sadd 30-25 in the final in front of a packed crowd at the Women's Club Sports Hall on Friday night. When it comes to crunch matches, you need someone to stand out and lead from the front. For Ciudad Real, it was their tall goalkeeper Arpad Sterbik, who rose to the occasion. He was simply unbeatable under the bar and gave Al-Sadd forward line a torrid time. After going on level terms until 5-5 in the first session, the hosts enjoyed a two-goal advantage at 8-6. However, the Spanish side didn't let things slip and seized the initiative by scoring from their counterattacks. With Sterbik repeatedly keeping Al-Sadd's forwards at bay, Ciudad Real quickly widened their slender one goal lead (11-10) to 15-11 by half-time. This victory is another feather in the cap of Ciudad Real coach Talant Dushebajew. He was part of the Spanish teams, as a player-coach, that won the titles in 2007 and 1997. "I'm extremely pleased with the way my team played. We had come here to retain the title and to successfully do that is great. We expected the final to be tough but the boys rose to the occasion," said an elated Dushebajew. Brazil's Unopar defeated Australia's Southern Stars 31-16 to win the fifth place encounter, also on Friday night. At half-time Unopar led 16-8. Wilson Fernandes, Rodrigo Moraes and Eduardo Guerra were the top scorers for the winners with five goals apiece, while Kenneth Toerlen stood out for Southern Stars with six goals. Awards: Player of the tournament: Ahmed el-Ahmar (Zamalek); Best Goalkeeper: Arpad Sterbik; (Ciudad Real); Best Scorer: Karil Lazarov (Qatar's Al-Sadd). Additional reporting from Al-Messa newspaper and www.gulf-times.com.
