Qatar’s goalkeeper Mohsin Yafai used to play for the Qatari indoor handball team for 15 years before deciding to end his career.

However, a call from the Qatari Handball Federation came for him to play beach handball and he obliged.

One of Budapest 2016’s top shot-stoppers spoke to IHF.info after Qatar’s win over Spain 2-0 (22:16) 21:20) earlier today.

IHF.info: Spain gave you a really tough game, how hard was it to play in?

Mohsin Yafai: For us it was a difficult game, maybe because we didn’t follow Spain so much as they were in another group to us in the first round - we just started to study them yesterday.

It was a really tough game and we were tired, but we started the first period very well. The next period we were tired and stressed.

We lost two points against Brazil and we need to bring the team back on top.

IHF.info: You are playing e two games a day at Budapest 2016, what is it like to play twice?

Mohsin Yafai: There is no time to recover between matches and we have around six hours until we play Croatia. We will try our best to work on the weak points for the Croatian team though.

IHF.info: Croatia are known for their skills in penalty shots. As a goalkeeper, can you practise for this?

Mohsin Yafai: Goalkeeping in beach handball is not about practise, it’s by mind I think.

Yes, you need to be a little bit tall because the sand is very hard to move in, but it’s between you and the player. 

In penalties you only need to know the player and the tactics; how they’re shooting and how they’re moving - his hands.

It comes by experience and we work well, because of the help and experience of the defence. 

IHF.info: You have played for Qatar in indoor handball and beach handball, what has that been like?

Mohsin Yafai: I was in the national team for 15 years but then stopped. The Qatari Handball Association called me and asked me to start with beach handball, but for the duty of my country I play.

IHF.info: Qatar have risen up in the Asian region to be the number one team, moving above Bahrain and Oman in recent years, does the region have a ‘style’ of handball?

Mohsin Yafai: When we see other teams playing here in Budapest I feel like we have a different style to them but I don’t know what it is.

I see how Brazil, America and Europe play and then think how we play differently to them; it’s very complicated. 

We also have a very good coach who helps us a lot; he knows how to discover players, how to train and I want to thank him so much.