CONCACAF Gold Cup: Haiti squeezes past Qatar with 2-1 win

Haiti is ranked 87th in the FIFA rankings, while Qatar is 61. 

Haiti pressed past Qatar with a late goal in stoppage time, securing a 2-1 crucial opening group triumph at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

In their second appearance, Qatar’s Yusuf Abdurisag curved the ball in the top corner of a frantic Haitian defense in the 20th minute.

Homan Ahmad nearly struck another goal for the Qataris, but the shot soared past the top of the bar.

Ahead of halftime, Haiti bashed back against the Maroons by attacking the pitch with several counterattacks.

The effort was not treasured until Duckens Nazon balanced the score at 1-1 after being awarded a penalty kick that set the stage for a fierce second half.

Despite the equaliser, the Caribbean nation returned to the game with an avenging Qatari squad that countered several attacks.

Abdurisag almost added another goal to his name in the 75th minute as the young footballer fired a shot outside the pitch.

With nine minutes added to the clock as several yellow flags were plunged for aggressive spells, Qatar’s defence was left empty as Frantzdy Pierrot crept in the last minutes with a goal.

The result marked a devastating loss for the World Cup hosts as they were favoured to dethrone Haiti, who sits 87th in the FIFA ranking.

The Haitian struck 18 shots at the Qataris’ box, holding 49% ball possession.

The loss puts Qatar third in Group B with zero points behind Haiti and Mexico, who defeated Honduras 4-0.