Haiti deserved to draw – Collat

Haiti coach Marc Collat insisted his team deserved to draw against Panama in their CONCACAF Gold Cup opener, despite registering just four shots to 12.

Panama – finalists at the 2013 Gold Cup – looked set to open the continental championships with a win on Tuesday, after Alberto Quintero scored in the 56th minute, but Haiti secured a 1-1 draw thanks to Duckens Nazon’s strike with four minutes remaining.

A counter-attack ended with the ball at Nazon’s feet on the right flank and the substitute surged into the box, swerving past one defender before converting from 10 yards.

While Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide had to make six saves to just one for his counterpart Jaime Penedo, Collat declared that it was “a fair game” at Toyota Stadium in Texas.

“We came back and we kept struggling, fighting to score the goal,” the French coach said, according to Televisa.

Collat added that Panama gave Haiti too much space to counter-attack in the second half: “[They were] very focused on scoring a second goal, allowing us to score.”

Panama will face United States in their next match on Friday after the co-hosts won the other Group A encounter 2-1, with losers Honduras lining up against Haiti.