Korea won an absorbing match 25-27, 25-21, 25-22, 25-16 and will play China in the final on Thursday 14 December at 20:00. Qatar will have to settle for playing Saudi Arabia in the bronze medal match two hours earlier.
In a thrilling semifinal, Qatar enjoyed superb backing from their supporters and they did not disappoint them, by starting off intensely. Three consecutive service aces by Qatar proved vital as they levelled the score 21-21. The Qataris stayed calm in the most critical moments of the set and Ismaeel Al Sheeb's attack clinched the set 27-25.
Qatar continued their momentum in the second set and took a three point lead. Setter Mohammed Abuwatfa's drop shots in the middle were often effective. But a towering block followed by two spikes at the back court allowed Korea to lead by two points at the second technical timeout. Qatar lost their concentration and made more errors in their service as the Koreans went on to level the match.
The third set was intense as the top scorers from both teams, Who In Jung of Korea and Ali Bairami of Qatar went head-to-head and exchanged powerful attacks. Korea eventually capitalised on Qatar's service and attack errors to take the set 25-22.
In the fourth set, the Koreans started fiercely, establishing a five point lead. Qatar's Mohamed Jumah was injured when he landed badly after a spike and was carried off the court by his teammates.
In the absence of their ace spiker their opponents took advantage and attacked Qatar's back court to lead 16-6 into the second technical timeout. Korea went on to clinch the set and the match 25-16. Who In Jung finished as the highest scorer of the match with 21 points.
Qatar coach Juan Diaz said, "I'm happy with my team's performance. My team played against Korea and the Korean team is a very experienced team. We are just a new team. Korea participated in many international tournaments, but this is only our second international tournament.
"It was really difficult for the players to adjust their mental game against them. In the first two sets, they played really well but they played badly in the last two sets."
Looking ahead to the crucial tie with Saudi Arabia, he said, "We will prepare to win and I will tell the team to forget about today's match. If we win a medal tomorrow it would be good for us. But even with a fourth place finish, it will still be OK. It will be the first medal in Qatar's volleyball history if we win tomorrow's match. "
In the evening's other action, IR Iran beat Bahrain 25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20 in their classification match. IR Iran will now play Japan for fifth place in the tournament, whilst Bahrain will take on Kazakhstan for seventh.
15th Asian Games, Doha 2006
Posted December 14th, 2006 by COBA
