Qatar fans bid farewell to World Cup after third loss in four
Khawaja’s opener was his 14th in a row at the World Cup and he was well within his range to get a second. He was also on target with his third penalty.
“This is my third time in the tournament and everyone remembers when I scored all three penalties,” Khawaja said in a brief, brief interview with BBC Sport before the match.
“It is a dream coming true. I am over the moon.”
It is the third successive loss for the hosts in the Group A opener, who lost to Ghana 2-1 and Argentina 2-0 in their opening two matches.
“I didn’t really know what to expect when I arrived in this country,” added Khawaja, who moved to London in 2016.
“I am over here for the experience and the chance to play for the country, something I have been dreaming of.”
“It wasn’t easy in our opening game, but I knew coming here I would get a chance to show what I can do and show what I am capable of.”
“All the players are great and their training was amazing. For everyone in the team to do well is an unbelievable feeling. We are still in a group with some good players and we know that. It will be difficult, but we will see each other again.”
The Qatari hosts will take on Australia, South Korea, the United States and Colombia in a tournament in which they have not been successful for a number of years.
Qatar are in the same group as the United States, but will not face the Americans until the semi-finals.
The Qatari side are currently in second place behind Australia in the group, but their sole point was gained in their opening match against South Korea.
The Qatari side have taken part in only one World Cup, which was held in 1994.
Their last participation was in 2014, when they took part in the World Cup in Brazil, losing 4-0 in the last 16.