Doha, Qatar: Qatar will be aiming to maintain a clean sheet against Honduras as they look to keep their hopes alive, in a highly anticipated showdown which could decide their fate at CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The match will kick off late Thursday (2:45 am Friday Doha Time) at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and promises to be a thrilling battle as both teams aim to bounce back from their initial defeats.
Qatar suffered a narrow 1-2 loss to Haiti, while Honduras was dealt a heavy blow by Mexico, succumbing to a resounding 0-4 defeat.
This will be Qatar’s third meeting with Honduras, having beaten the Central American counterparts on both previous occasions.
The Group B encounter is a rematch of their previous meeting in the 2021 tournament, where Qatar convincingly won 2-0, thanks to outstanding goals from Homam Ahmed and Abdulaziz Hatem.
Qatar men, who made their presence felt during the 2021 edition of the tournament by reaching the semi-finals, are determined to overcome their disappointing start this year and finish the group stage in a strong position and advance to the knockout stage.
Qatar, who conceded a last-minute goal against Haiti, are eager to rectify their mistakes and regain their winning momentum.
Their goal-scoring hopes lie with Yusuf Abdurisag, who netted Qatar’s sole goal in the previous match against Haiti. Abdurisag, backed by the attacking prowess of Bassam Al Rawi, who provided the assist for Qatar’s goal in the opening match, will be a constant threat to the Honduran defense.
Qatar will be hoping for the return of their star striker Almoez Ali, who had been nursing an injury and subsequently missed the opener against Haiti. Almoez was the top scorer with four goals for Qatar in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
“The opportunity to qualify (for the quarter-finals) still exists. There is nothing impossible in football, and we must play and continue to perform strongly,” Qatar’s veteran Portuguese coach said prior to the team’s departure for Phoenix.
For Honduras, the 4-0 loss to Mexico was the fourth time in five Gold Cups that they lost their opening match, and only once in those four occasions did they manage to reach the knockout stage after dropping their first match, in 2017.
All eyes are now fixed on the clash between the Asian champions and the former champions of the Gold Cup, as two formidable teams battle it out at the 63,400-seat venue to revive their aspirations in the US.
Haiti face Mexico
In a battle of unbeaten teams in Group B, Mexico will take on Haiti on the same day.
The two teams who got off to winning starts will meet for a chance to make it two straight. It will be the first Gold Cup meeting between the two sides since their epic 2019 semi-final when an extra time penalty conversion from Raul Jimenez lifted Mexico to a 1-0 win.
Coincidentally, that match also took place at Glendale, Arizona’s State Farm Stadium, the site of today’s affair. (With inputs from CONCACAF)
