Qatar defeats Honduras to book Gold Cup quarterfinal showdown with El Salvador

Pedro "Ro-Ro" Miguel
Pedro "Ro-Ro" Miguel
AARON M. SPRECHER/AFP

Homam Ahmed scored on a tight-angle shot in the first half and Abdulaziz Hatem sealed the win in second-half stoppage time as Qatar defeated Honduras in Houston to claim first place in Group D.

Qatar (2-0-1) earned a Saturday quarterfinal date with Group A runner-up El Salvador in Glendale, Ariz. Honduras (2-1-0) only needed a draw Tuesday to win the group, but now it will face Group A winner Mexico in a Saturday quarterfinal at Glendale, Ariz.

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In the 25th minute, Qatar's Hassan Al-Haydos dribbled toward the top of the penalty area and dropped a perfect reverse pass to Ahmed, who was racing forward on the left wing. Ahmed beat Honduras goalie Luis Lopez with a 12-yard shot inside the near post.

Hatem completed a three-on-one breakaway with a goal in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.