Caitlin Dillon
Qatar’s Copa America campaign got off to a thrilling start as they made a shock comeback in their opening match of the group stages against Paraguay.
Their Copa America dream became a nightmare just four minutes into their debut as Al-Sadd defender Pedro conceded a penalty, effortlessly converted by Oscar Cardozo, putting Al Anabi on the back-foot from the get go. A second Cardozo goal in the 51st minute appeared to put the match to bed, however disappointment turned into elation for the Qataris as it was ruled out by VAR. It wasn’t long until the Paraguayans compensated, however, with Derlis Gonzalez doubling their lead when his long-range shot from outside the box found the back of the net.
As the half-time whistle blew, a deflated Qatar re-grouped, and in the 68th minute, Al-Duhail striker and Asian Cup top-scorer Almoez Ali put Sanchez’ half-time team talk into practise as he halved the Paraguayan’s lead with a stunning shot curled in from outside the area.
Twenty-minutes later Karim Boudiaf, off the back of being handed a yellow card, slotted the equaliser for Qatar, placing them above Argentina in the Group B standings, and proving once again that his side can compete amongst the best in the world.