Haiti stun Qatar with late winner in Gold Cup

A stoppage-time winner from Frantzdy Pierrot saw Haiti edge 2021 semi-finalists Qatar 2-1 in Group B opener of the CONCACAF Gold Cup at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Sunday.
Al Annabi took the lead in the 20th minute through Yusuf Abdurisag.
Haiti keeper Alexandre Pierre dropped a high cross and in the resulting scramble Mostafa Meshaal slipped the ball back to Abdurisag who curled the ball into the far corner.
The Caribbean nation drew level on the stroke of half-time from the penalty spot. Pierrot’s shot hit the outstretched arm of defender Tarek Salman and Duckens Nazon made no mistake with the penalty kick.
Derrick Etienne hit the post for Haiti, who pushed forward in search of a late winner and they were rewarded late in stoppage time when Carnejy Antoine broke down the left and squared for Pierrot who slotted in the winner.
Qatar’s Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, however, expressed his disappointment with the refereeing in the match. “Unfortunately, the refereeing was not good in today’s match, and we had a clear penalty kick that the Jamaican referee did not award,” he claimed after the game.
“There are many things that were not right throughout the match. For the first time I saw a referee stop play in order for one of the players of the two teams to tie his shoelace,” said Queiroz.
The coach stressed his team at a good level.
“I think that the players presented what was required of them. They are gaining more experience which is required for many of them, especially since some lack the required international experience and some are playing for the first time at the international level,” he said.
The Qatari national team will now move to Glendale in California, to face Honduras on June 29 (Thursday) at the State Farm Stadium in their second group stage clash.
Qatar are also to play Mexico in the group stage on July 2 (Sunday) at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Qatar are featuring as a guest team in the North and Central American regional tournament for a second time. A total of 16 teams, divided into four groups are vying for the top honours. Top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.
In Group B’s second match on Sunday, Luis Romo struck twice as Mexico crushed Honduras 4-0.
Mexico, the record eight-time winner of the tournament, came into the clash with Honduras in Houston after firing Argentine coach Diego Cocca and appointing Jaime Lozano on an interim basis. Cocca was dismissed after the Nations League semi-final 3-0 defeat to the United States and El Tri made the perfect start to Lozano’s reign.
It took just 51 seconds for Mexico to find the target when Romo collected a clearance, took one touch and then, from the edge of the box, drilled the ball into the bottom corner.
Roma made it 2-0 in the 23rd minute when Jesus Gallardo headed a corner towards him and he nodded the ball past Honduras keeper Luis Lopez.
Orbelin Pineda, produced a clever one-two, on the edge of the box with Henry Martin, bursting into the area before blasting home. Luis Chavez completed the rout with a toe-poked finish in the 64th minute as the 66,500, overwhelmingly Mexican, crowd celebrated their team’s timely return to form.
In Group A, Jamaica held the United States to a 1-1 draw in the opener on Saturday and then Trinidad and Tobago defeated St Kitts and Nevis 3-0 on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.
Heavy rain in South Florida delayed the start of the all-Caribbean clash at Inter Miami’s DRV PNK stadium and when Trinidad and St Kitts took to the field, there were still heavy patches of water.
Alvin Jones opened the scoring two minutes before the break with a well-taken effort, chesting down a lofted ball from Neveal Hackshaw and firing home.
Ajani Fortune doubled the lead with a solo effort in the 65th minute, jinking past two defenders before firing into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
An own goal from Jameel Ible, who turned in a low Levi Garcia cross, completed a comfortable win for Trinidad.