Portugal, Israel set up top clash for spot in the play-offs
Portugal, Israel set up top clash for spot in the play-offs
Following their respective wins on Friday, Portugal and Israel bring the decision in Group 4 about which team qualifies for the Men's World Championship Qualification Play-offs down to the wire.
Israel first beat Estonia 28:25 and then Portugal followed suit with a 37:22 against Georgia which means that the two victorious teams will battle it out for the group's top spot when they meet on Saturday.
Only the respective first ranked teams of each of the six qualification groups qualify for the play-offs.
Estonia had snatched a surprise 28:28 draw against Portugal on Thursday and they were close again when they met.
They remained within striking distance in the first half and only trailed by one goal when both teams went into the break at 14:13 in favour of Israel.
In the second half though the hosts were the superior team and eventually carved out a 28:25 win.
Things were much more one-sided when Georgia faced Portugal. Georgia's resistance was broken very early on, and Portugal had forged ahead to a 17:10 lead already at the break.
Led by FC Porto's Antonio Areia, who scored nine goals overall and was his team's top scorer, the Portuguese dominance continued until the very end when the final score stood at 37:22.
