Doha: El Jaish and Al Gharafa made it to the final of Qatar Cup handball after beating Al Rayyan and Al Qiyadah respectively in the semi-final stage of the competition.
El Jaish overcame Al Rayyan 21-18 in a match that took place on Wednesday at Duhail Sports Hall to secure their place in the final for the third year in a row and get a step closer to retaining the title that they won in the previous two editions.
The first half ended 12-9 to El Jaish. Al Rayyan improved in the second half but fell short of turning the game in their favor as El Jaish players tried to keep the gap and reach the final. In the other semifinal, Al Gharafa narrowly beat Al Qiyada 27-26 to book a date with El Jaish in tomorrow's final.
Al Gharafa ended the first half one goal ahead on 16-15 before Al Qiyada turning out for the second half in style to open a three-goal gap at some points.
Al Gharafa, however, came back to the match and closed the deficit in the last minutes to win the tie and reach their first-ever final of the coveted tournament.
