Grenada and Qatar face off for the first time in Group D action on Saturday

By concacaf.com July 16, 2021

After making their Concacaf Gold Cup return and debut respectively, Grenada and Qatar face off for the first time as Group D action resumes on Saturday night at BBVA Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Qatar took a point from its back and forth encounter with Panama while Grenada suffered a 4-0 defeat to Honduras and will be looking for personal redemption.

It will be the second time Grenada faces off against a member of the Asian Football Confederation while Qatar will face its sixth opponent from Concacaf.

Jamal Charles remains the player to watch for the Spice Boys with 10 goals to his name, six of them in the Concacaf Nations League - the second most in League B. Omar Beckles, who had a goal-saving header on Tuesday night, was the player with the most shots against Honduras with three.

Qatar got rolling offensively against Panama thanks to their two stars, 24-year-old forwards Akram Afif and Almoez Ali. Afif had a goal and an assist in the 3-3 draw with the Central Americans.

Team captain Hassan Al Haydos joined the scoring from the penalty spot, putting all three of Qatar’s top 10 all-time scorers on the scoresheet. Al Haydos and Ali both have five goals in their previous 10 appearances.

A win would catapult either side into the top spots in the group, setting it up in the driver’s seat going into its final group stage match. If either side were to take the full three points, it would mark that nation's first Gold Cup victory.

Grenada has also never tied in seven previous matches at the Gold Cup. Qatar has yet to lose a match after tying in their debut last Tuesday.

Saturday’s Group D matches will be in front of a capacity crowd in Houston as Grenada and Qatar face off before Honduras versus Panama.

 

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