HOUSTON, Texas — Qatar are left with mixed emotions after a back-and-forth 3-3 draw with Panama in their first ever match at the Concacaf Gold Cup.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts opened Group D against Panama, a consistent participant in the tournament, and were in the lead on three different occasions. The Central Americans, however, would not be denied.
“The positive today is we scored three and the negative is when we conceded three. We always come into the game not to concede, hopefully to win, but that's football,” said forward Mohammed Muntari in an exclusive postgame interview with Concacaf.com.
A first half tussle ended in a goalless draw at halftime. Muntari mentioned the halftime adjustments made by Qatar coach Felix Sanchez were among the factors that led to their three goals.
Despite splitting the points, the AFC Asian Cup champions felt their opening match was a good litmus test for what to expect in the rest of the tournament. Now, they are focused on building and gaining momentum.
“Sometimes you win, some you lose, but we are fortunate to come up with the points, we go back to work on it and come back strong for the next game,” said Muntari. “We're always confident. We are the Asian champions, so we come here with a lot of confidence and we are glad that we showed today and hopefully we can share more in the next games.”
Muntari entered Tuesday’s match in the 85th minute, subbed in for Almoez Ali. He is eager to join his fellow forwards among the goal scorers for his country after Ali, Akram Afif and Hassan Al-Haydos all picked up their first Gold Cup goal against Panama.
Off the field, the Qatar national team is not only enjoying the experience of playing in the biennial tournament, but also the proximity it gives them to play in front of their fans in the United States.
“It means everything,” said Muntari about the Qatari public in attendance for the match. “To have them here is really motivating and we appreciate it and hopefully they can come to the next one also.”
