Former Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Queiroz and his long-time assistant Roger De Sa have created a shocking result in the ongoing CONCACAF Gold Cup in the US by beating Mexico 1-0 to qualify for the quarter-finals.
The win has seen the duo lead Qatar, who hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup last year and are invited to the tournament, reach the quarter-finals of the Gold Cup for the very first time.
Hazem Shehata scored the winner in the 27th minute for the guest nation, beating the legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa to help Qatar register their only win in the group to finish second behind Mexico.
Despite ht shock defeat, Mexico finished on top of Group B with six points, having beaten Honduras and bottom-placed Haiti, while Qatar drew 1-1 with Honduras and lost 2-1 to Haiti.
In the knockout stages, Qatar will face the United States, who crushed Trinidad and Tobago 6-0, with Ferreira Castro, who was born in Colombia, scoring a hat-trick, at the same time on Monday.
USA finished tied on top of Group A with six points alongside Jamaica, who hammered St Kitts and Nevis by 5-0 in their match played also on Monday, but the US are on top having scored more goals.
De Sa and Queiroz joined Qatar in February on a contract until 2026 after they led Iran to the 2022 World Cup finals in November and December last year. They left Iran after tournament where they lost to England, then stunned Wales before losing to the USA in the last group stage match. That was not enough to see them reach the knockout stages.
On the other hand, Qatar had joined South Africa as the only World Cup host nation to have failed to qualify for the knockout stages, but became the first ever side to lose all the three group stage matches under Spanish coach Felix Sanchez.
De Sa and Queiros are working together in the national team for the fifth time – they coached Bafana, Portugal, Iran and Egypt. They led the latter nation to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final last year, losing to Senegal on penalties in Cameroon.
