Qatar bowed out of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) Gold Cup after going down against hosts United States in the semi-final on Friday. It was Al Annabi’s debut in the Concacaf’s blue riband event and such was their performance in the tournament that it will last for long in the memories of those who watched the Asian champions in action.
Qatar, who entered the event as a guest side, started their campaign with a thrilling 3-3 draw before winning the next two matches against Grenada (4-0) and Honduras (2-0) to top their group. In the quarter-final, the Felix Sanchez-coached side defeated El Salvador 3-2 before being edged out by the hosts 0-1 in a gripping clash. Al Annabi were dominating the match against the US but it was not their day as a goal in the 86th minute ended their hopes of reaching the final.
Still, Qatar departed the event with their heads held high as they become the second Asian side after South Korea (in 2002) to reach semi-finals of the tournament. The experience of playing against the teams which the Asian champions rarely meet can be highly beneficial for the FIFA World Cup 2022 hosts. “It is good to play different football schools since we are accustomed to playing against Asian teams. We have gained a lot of experience that will benefit us during the upcoming tournaments and matches. We just have to keep working on playing better,” said Sanchez.
Qatar have been in phenomenal form in 2021 as the loss to the US on Friday was their first defeat in 11 international matches this year that include 8 victories and two draws.
The Qatar Football Association’s efforts to give best preparations to the national side is yielding positive results, which can be gauged by team’s performance in recent years, with the Asian Cup 2019 triumph their best so far. Before the Gold Cup, the QFA also paved the way for the national team’s participation in Copa America 2019 and the ongoing European Qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Qatar’s next main assignments this year will be the September’s European Qualifiers and the inaugural FIFA Arab Cup in November-December, dubbed the test event before Qatar hosts the football’s showpiece event.
The team’s preparations for the home World Cup are going in the right track and all the team needs is to stay focused and keep gaining experience. There is a plenty of action still to go for Qatar in the coming months and if Al Annabi continue their fine run, they will enter the World Cup brimming with confidence and will be able to perform well against any opposition in the world.
