Credit: Twitter
Qatar pulled off a stunning upset by beating Mexico 1-0 in their final group match of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Sunday, securing a spot in the quarter-finals of the tournament. Hazem Shehata scored the only goal of the game in the 27th minute with a header from a cross by Musaab Khidir. The result sparked a lot of reactions on Twitter, with many fans and pundits praising Qatar, the 58-ranked in FIFA rankings, for their performance and criticizing Mexico for their lack of finishing.
Mexico, who had already qualified for the knockout stage, dominated possession and created several chances, but failed to find the equalizer. Edson Alvarez hit the post with a header and Israel Reyes missed a golden opportunity in stoppage time. Mexico had a total of 25 shots and six on target but failed to score while Qatar found the back of the net after their only shot on target.
Qatar, who are playing as a guest team in the tournament for North and Central America and the Caribbean, showed resilience and discipline to hold on to their lead. The 2022 World Cup hosts, coached by Carlos Queiroz, finished second in Group B behind Mexico and eliminated Honduras, who beat Haiti 2-1.
Here are some of the tweets:
Fans criticised the 14th ranked team in FIFA rankings, Mexico losing against the 58th ranked, Qatar on Twitter. One was reminded of the legendary coach Jose Mourinho who is popular for his ultra-defensive tactics and many times gets the win despite not creating many chances.
Some were also reminded of the Celtic vs Barcelona, Champions League 2012-13 clash when Celtic won 2-1 after just five attempts on target while the Blaugrana had 14 shots.
El Tri will need to bounce back as five days are remaining to prepare for their quarterfinal, with the opponent to be discovered on Tuesday. Recently losing ground to the more imposing U.S. men's national team setup, losing 3-0 in last month's Concacaf Nations League semifinal, Mexico is in desperate need of a regional trophy.
