In their second appearance at the IHF Men’s Super Globe, Saudi hosts Al-Noor finished on the ninth place, ending with a two-game winning streak, as they capped off a good performance against the San Francisco CalHeat with a 29:24 win.

PLACEMENT MATCH 9/10
11:15 AST Al-Noor (KSA) vs San Francisco CalHeat (USA) 29:24 (13:12)

The San Francisco CalHeat had a unique chance to tie the best-ever finish for an American team at the IHF Men’s Super Globe, the ninth place sealed by New York City THC in 2019, when they were facing hosts Al-Noor in the Placement Match 9/10.

The American side were surely boosted by the win against the University of Queensland on Saturday, their maiden win in the competition, and used that to fuel a 4:0 run, which saw them take the lead after a shaky start, 6:4, after a pair of goals scored by line player Andrew Donlin.

Yet the Saudi side did not look deterred and used a well taken team time-out to bounce back in the match and balance the scoreline, as wing Ahmed Adel Al Agry proved to be unstoppable at times, boasting a 100% record on penalties, as well as delivering some much-needed goals on fast breaks, exactly what Al-Noor needed in some difficult moments.

Until the end of the first half, Al-Noor managed to turn the game on its head and enter the break with a slender one-goal lead, while the start of the second half was the pivotal moment of the match and tilted the balance decisively into the hands of the hosts.

A 5:1 run, fueled by two goals from Al Agry, created a five-goal gap, 18:13, after only seven minutes, with experienced goalkeeper Marouen Maggaiz being the key difference, with his saves and the CalHeat’s turnovers translating into fast breaks, which brought some easy goals for Al-Noor.

The plethora of turnovers from the CalHeat, which plagued the American team throughout the whole 2023 IHF Men’s Super Globe, reappeared in the second half against Al-Noor, gifting the Saudi side several attacks, converted into goals, which eventually proved to be decisive at the end of the match.

It was one of their most experienced players, right back Bruno Tavares, Al-Noor’s top goal scorer in the competition, with 20 goals, who led the charge in the closing moments of the match, finishing with six goals in this match, albeit it was not for the CalHeat’s lack of trying, but they constantly found a wall in goalkeeper Marouen Maggaiz, who saved 17 shots for a 44% saving efficiency.

The American side stayed close and exerted the needed pressure, only to concede their third loss in four matches in Dammam, but Hamza Kablouti added seven goals for Al-Noor, which stood tall and secured a 29:24 win, taking the ninth place in the competition, while the CalHeat ended up on the tenth place, but with a clear improvement from the previous edition, with closer matches and balanced performances.

hummel Player of the Match: Andrew Donlin (San Francisco CalHeat)