AUSTIN, Texas: Abdelkarim Hassan, Qatar’s versatile defender, on Monday confirmed that his team’s preparations to face the U.S. in the semifinals of the Gold Cup ‘are going well.

The two teams will clash in the last four contest of the tournament on Wednesday.

Hassan said Qatar is aiming for a win to secure a spot in the final of the hugely popular tournament.

“We achieved our goal in the match against El Salvador match by reaching the semifinals. It was not an easy match since we are playing in this tournament for the first time,” Hassan said.

“The teams we faced here have participated in the World Cups, and this confirms that the level of competition is high”.

“Against El Salvador, we raced to a 3-0 lead but then lost focus (on Saturday). This led to us conceding two goals,” Hassan said.

He affirmed Qatar’s defensive ability and shrugged off the two goals conceded after leading El Salvador 3-0, stressing that “the mistakes of the El Salvador match will not be repeated.”

“We play a match every three days, and we have played four matches so far, but our medical staff is doing a great job by helping the players recover soon,” Hassan said.

Qatar defeated El Salvador 3-2 in a thrilling quarter-final to seal their place in the 2021 Gold Cup semifinals at the State Farm Stadium in on Saturday.

A brace by Almoez Ali and Abdulaziz Hatim’s strike saw Qatar race into a 3-0 lead before El Salvador pulled two back to give the reigning AFC Asian Cup champions a nervy final 25 minutes.