Azerbaijan became the latest team to earn a berth to World League Round 2 after winning the men’s World League Round 1 tournament held in Doha, Qatar.
Azerbaijan had the tournament victory sealed already with one day left in the event, but nevertheless the team wanted to end the tournament on a high note and did so with a 4-3 win over Sri Lanka on the final day of action.
It was clear that Azerbaijan was heads and shoulder above its opponents as they earned an impressive three wins in their three outings, winning by an average of two goals in each contest. In comparison, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Oman each traded barbs and closed the tournament with one win apiece. Sri Lanka came out of the three-way tie with bragging rights, thanks to a +2 goal difference. Oman was third with a -2 goal difference, while Turkey rounded out the field with a -7 goal difference.
Host Qatar also took part in the tournament, however it was discovered that there was an eligibility problem with some of its players, therefore all Qatari results have been deleted from the event and the final standings include only the four teams mentioned above. All teams agreed to the removal of the Qatari results at an official tournament meeting on Saturday.
Azerbaijan will now look ahead to World League Round 2 action, which begins in January 2013.
