Gold Cup: Qatar's Coach Praises Team Performance in Honduras Win

Houston, July 21 (QNA) - Head coach of Qatar's football national team Felix Sanchez on Tuesday praised the team's performance, saying they deserved to reach the Gold Cups quarterfinals. On Tuesday, Qatar beat Honduras 2-0 for their second successive Gold Cup win. The Asian champions now face El Salvador in the quarterfinals on Saturday. "Firstly, I congratulate the players for the excellent account of themselves they presented in the match in which we were the best from the start of the match," Sanchez said. "In the first half, we had many chances to score. In the second half also, we played well. Qatar Football Association's official website said that Honduras came into the tie on the back of consecutive victories. At the same time, Qatar playing in the competition on an invitational basis, started their campaign with a 3-3 draw against Panama before collecting a 4-0 win over Grenada. "The players have proven that they are playing with great responsibility and with great professionalism in such crucial matches. The focus was there from our side, and this is the one key thing I can ask for as a coach," Sanchez said. When asked about their upcoming match against El Salvador in the quarterfinals, Sanchez said: "We had previously played against them before the tournament during our camp in Croatia, and it was a friendly match. So, we know our opponents, and they also know us. The friendly matches are just a test only, although, through that contest, we learned a lot about them." He continued: "El Salvador at the current tournament have played good matches. Even in their last confrontation with Mexico, they were good. For this match, they will be strong, and we have to prepare well for it." When asked about Qatar’s experience of reaching the quarterfinals, Sanchez said: "This has been a good experience for us in a competitive tournament that features good teams participating in it. We are satisfied with what we have done so far as we have displayed good performances in this event, and we hope to continue our progress in the tournament. We are lucky to be present and play in this tournament." Sanchez hinted that they played the same way they appeared in the previous matches by focusing and pressing the opponents with attacking play. He concluded his press conference by saying he was pleased to see the "solid showing" exhibited by young Homam Al-Amin. "We do not choose players according to their age. Homam Al-Amin played a great match, and we are happy to have a player like him with us after a distinguished season in the league, and it is very nice to have young players who add to our strength," Sanchez said. 2021 is Concacaf’s 60th anniversary year, and the Gold Cup is its flagship men’s competition. The first edition was played in 1991, and the 2021 edition will be the 16th Concacaf Gold Cup. Mexico is the most successful team in Gold Cup history with eight Gold Cup titles, followed by the USA with six and Canada with one. The current Gold Cup champion is Mexico, who lifted the Cup in 2019 after defeating the US Men’s National Team 1-0 in a hard-fought final at Chicago’s Soldier Field. (QNA) QRCS Initiates Eid Clothing Project in Yemen Sana'a, July 21 (QNA) - Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) initiated an Eid Clothing project in Amanat Al-Asimah, Yemen, for the benefit of 800 destitute families. At a total cost of USD 40,000, the charitable project is funded by the donations of benevolent people in Qatar. It is one of the best humanitarian interventions that bring happiness to the hearts of children from the most vulnerable households at social organizations and care homes, letting all children share the joy of Eid. The mechanism involves distributing prepaid vouchers to the target families. Three clothes shops were contracted, so that the families would go there to select the new clothes their children like. The CEO of Wahb Foundation for Development and Relief in Sanaa Somaiya Al-Emad, said, "At the foundation, we focus on the community in general, mainly disabled people. Today, QRCS launches the Eid Clothing project for a vulnerable group, who are persons with disability. It is putting a smile on the faces of those children and making them feel they are equal to other healthy children. I would like to thank QRCS for its humanitarian projects, especially this one during the Eid-ul-Adha". This year's Eid Clothing project for the Eid-al-Adha is part of the campaign launched in Ramadan under the theme of "Race to All That Is Good". It comes amid deteriorated humanitarian conditions suffered by Yemeni people all over the country. (QNA)