Ismael Diaz scores hat-trick to earn Panama semis berth with win over Qatar
Panama will take on the winner of USMNT vs. Canada in the semi-finals stage
A very poor Qatar team succumbed to Panama in the first quarter-finals match of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday afternoon. Ismael Diaz scored a second-half hat-trick in less than 10 minutes to earn his team the victory.
Panama will take on the winner of USMNT vs. Canada in the semi-finals stage. Their elite ball possession and counter attacks, plus a solid goalkeeper in Orlando Mosquera, is a danger to any opponent.
Mosquera, 28, was only bothered once against Qatar at the end of the first half with a shot from Bassam Al Rawi.
Panama broke the deadlock in the 19th minute through a Joel Barcenas header, which left Qatar goalkeeper Salah Zakaria with no chance at getting the save.
The goal was reviewed by VAR for a possible offsides position, but was validated in the end by Mexican referee Cesar Ramos.
Qatar made changes for the second half, which paid off for a few minutes, reaching the Panamanian goal with more pressure than in the opening 45 minutes.
Ten minutes into the second half, however, Diaz scored on Zakaria with a wide-open shot to make it 2-0. He was assisted teammate Jose Fajardo.
Eight minutes later, Diaz again found the back of the net, and made it 4-0 a few possessions later.
Panama continues to hunt the fifth goal, but were unable to do so, especially since the head coach made a handful of substitutions to give his stars some rest ahead of semis. Follow Mexico vs. Costa Rica right here on the MARCA English LIVE play-by-play.
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