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Against Serbia-Montenegro, Egypt rebounded from a poor opening day start Egypt rebounded from a poor start at the World Handball Championship in Tunisia, beating Serbia-Montenegro 24-22.
In the opening game, Germany downed Egypt 28-25. Against Serbia-Montenegro, goalkeeper Mohamed El-Naquib was the big difference, saving 19 shots, including four penalties. "We won this time because we were lucky and because of the goalkeeper," Egypt's head coach German Jorn-Uwe Lommel told Al-Ahram Weekly after the game. "But we still made silly mistakes. "This time though the players were aware of the importance of the victory and played with a fighting spirit especially at the end. I guess if they continue playing with the same spirit in the remaining three games, Egypt will make it to the second round." Egypt should be able to handle Qatar easily when they meet today. Qatar lost its opener to Serbia-Montenegro 34-26. The Asian team is making its fourth appearance in the world championship but is still considered inexperienced, handball having been introduced in the Gulf country less than 25 years ago. There are 13 clubs which play handball in Qatar, a sizeable number, but the sport is way behind football in popularity. Qatar is participating in the world championship after finishing third in the Asian qualifications held in Qatar in February 2004. Egypt had a disappointing start at the World Championship on Sunday, losing to Germany by three goals. The game saw the Egyptians waste several fast-break opportunities. "You can't win if you are aiming at the body of the goalkeeper," Lommel said. "I was really upset with the team. They were close to winning. In the second half, they were better and fighting but when it was 20-20, they lost concentration and started making mistakes. The Germans took advantage." Administrative team manager Alaa El-Sayed and team captain Sherif Mo'men had another explanation: the Icelandic referees. "This is the seventh or eighth time they have officiated a game for Egypt and we always lose," Mo'men said. "They whistled against us several times which made us lose concentration and therefore the game. When we saw them at the beginning of the match, we knew we were going to lose." "I don't know why the IHF (International Handball Federation) keeps selecting them for Egypt, especially in critical games," El-Sayed wondered. "The players have become pessimistic when seeing them." German head coach Brand Heiner did not hide his joy. "My players played perfectly for 60 minutes and carried out all my instructions especially in defence, so they deserved to win," Heiner told reporters following the game. Also in Egypt's group is Brazil. The Latin Americans have beaten Egypt just once, at the Olympic Games in Athens, for only their second international victory. The Brazilians lost their opener to Norway 34-12 and to Germany 30-22. According to the format, the top three teams from each of the four groups will qualify for the second round which begins Monday, while the bottom three teams will exit. There is a new twist in the system. The points that the 12 qualifying teams collected in the first round will be included and tallied in the second round. The qualifying teams will be divided into two groups of six teams each. Group one will comprise the three top teams of groups A and B, while group two will include the top three qualifiers of groups C and D. The three-day second round will see the top two teams of each group qualify for the semi- final. The third placed teams will play off for fifth and sixth place, the fourth placed teams play off for places seven to eight, the fifth placed teams will clash for ninth and 10th place and the sixth placed teams will vie for spots 11 and 12. The 15-day tournament opened on Sunday in a spectacular ceremony at the Rades Sports Hall in Tunis, the capital. The ceremony was attended by Tunisian President Zein Al-Abidine Bin Ali, high-ranking state officials and Hassan Mustafa, president of both the international and Egyptian handball federations. Tunisia became only the second African country to host the tournament. In 1999, Egypt hosted the 16th edition. "Africa is capable of hosting major events, world championships and the Olympic Games." Mustafa told the Weekly. "Seeing the superb organisation in all four venues, I believe Tunisia will present the best ever world championships. "The Tunisians had presented an impressive bid that received the approval of the General Assembly and therefore were awarded the organisation. "I have visited the country many times and recognised the nation's will to bring out a perfectly organised competition." At the Rades Sports Hall, Tunisia trampled over Angola 39-23 in the opener. The main venue of the championship, Rades has a 14,300-seat capacity and cost $50 million. Located 15km from Tunis, Rades is also designed for volleyball, futsal, ice hockey, table tennis, fencing, gymnastics, ice skating and wrestling. "The real challenge for Tunisia is to ensure a successful world championship based on fair competition led by the athletes seeking for excellence and distinction, as well as on a high sense of sportsmanship and civic behaviour by players and supporters," said Abdullah Kaabi, Tunisia's sports, youth and physical education minister. "The aim is to make the 2005 World Handball Championship a lofty and noble message for peace, solidarity and fraternity, especially since the world is this year celebrating the International Year for Sports and Physical Education."
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