Qatar players expressed delight after the team stunned Mexico to reach the quarter-finals of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday.
Hazem Shehata, who scored the only and winning goal against Mexico, said that Al Annabi well deserved to be in the last eight following the team’s good show in the three matches of the group stage.
“I feel very happy that we qualified for the next stage of the championship. We played a great match and succeeded in achieving the desired goal which was a win and qualification,” Shehata said.
“We had no choice but to beat Mexico and await for the result of the Haiti-Honduras match in order to qualify. I think we deserved to go into the quarter-finals after our performance during the first round.”
Shehata, who produced a fine snap-header against Mexico, also appreciated the presence of a large crowd at the game. “It is nice to score a goal at this big stadium and in front of this crowd of fans.”
He, however, stressed that the road ahead would be all the more difficult.
“The next confrontation in the quarter-finals will be difficult given injuries to some of our top players but we will do our best to continue the journey.”
Meanwhile, midfielder Mohamed Waad said that everyone did well during the three group stage matches pointing out that the victory over Mexico was a result of the great determination shown by all players.
“We achieved our goal. Our group (Group B) was a difficult one and the evidence is the results of all the matches and close finishes. We are very happy because we succeeded in making our fans happy and our ambition is to compete for the championship title. We will do everything in our power to achieve our goal.”
Qatar striker Tamim Mansour Moftah praised the high spirit of the team which enabled them achieve a feisty win over Mexico.
“We achieved a very important victory against a formidable Mexico, which has a long history in world football,” Moftah said.
“We proved that nothing is impossible in football, after most of the expectations indicated that we would be knocked out in the group stage after the first two matches,” he added.
Indicating the crucial decisions that went against the team, Moftah said: “We will not talk about the arbitration injustice that we were subjected to in the first two matches, but praise be to God, we achieved what we wanted, and we were able to qualify for the next round.
“I think that the last stage was more difficult and the next one will be easier for us. We hope to continue to make our fans happy.”
Qatar finished Group B as second with 4 points on a better goal difference against Honduras, third in the standings, while Mexico topped the standings with 6 points while Haiti ended up as fourth with 3 points.
Qatar will meet the toppers of Group C in the quarter-finals. Currently Panama with 6 points lead Group C, followed by Martinique with three points, and El Salvador and then Costa Rica with a point each. The quarter-finals will be played on July 8 and 9, while the semi-finals are scheduled for July 12 and the final for July 16.
Qatar, the reigning Asian champions, reached the semi-finals of the Gold Cup in their previous guest appearance in 2021.