After finishing regular time tied a set a piece, 19-16, 21-28, the Aussies went down 16-14 in a marathon penalty shootout.

Defender Jonathan Robson said the tight finished showed how exciting Beach Handball can be as a player and spectator.

“That was the longest penalty shootout I’ve ever been in,” he said. “It’s a nailbiter but that’s the beauty of the sport. It’s set up for these intense moments so we enjoy it as much as we can.

“On the sideline I can’t impact the result so I to I just try to enjoy it, it’s part of why we love the game.”

The men’s team finish their campaign in eighth place, a solid improvement from their 2018 World Championships 13th place.

“The World beach Games experience has been fantastic,” Robson said. “Our goal coming here was to advance from the group stage into that top eight which we achieved.”

“The experience of playing Qatar in front of the home crowd in the quarter-finals was a big buzz, it was an incredible atmosphere and a real highlight.”

With the Games aiming to showcase exciting takes on traditional Olympic sports, the spectacular goal-scoring manoeuvres and consistently tight contests central to Beach Handball is right at home for beach loving Australian sports fans.

“Beach handball is such a fun sport to play and to watch, the atmosphere is great,” Robson said. “You can give it a go at beaches right around the country - I started when I was invited by a few mates, we can set up our own court and have a game on the beach whenever we like.

“And it’s a sport that’s let me experience things like this – to travel the world playing a sport I love and be part of these big events is incredible.”You can find out more about Beach Handball here.