Mexico

Honduras Push México To The Limit

All of Honduras showed up against El Tri, and deservedly took advantage of a Ricardo Osorio own goal to send them to the Hexagonal as first place in the “Group of Death.” México once again suffered more than they expected from the rival and deplorable pitch, but also earned the ticket thanks to the result from the Jamaica-Canada match.

Nov 19, 2008 10:49:51 PM

More On : Honduras, Mexico, Honduras vs Mexico

Gerardo Torrado - Rafael Marquez - Mexico (Mexsport)

By César García

The crowd in San Pedro Sula rejoiced like never before with a deserved Honduras victory against México, which qualified the Catrachos to the Hexagonal final round in first place of Group 2.

Though helped by a fortuitous Ricardo Osorio own-goal, Honduras were just winners based on the constant threat of their attackers and the complete performance of all lines, which ultimately handed the blanquiazul a control of the match and the score.

Don't Miss

México sat back and waited for most of the game, but the strategy proved costly, severely hampered their attack and was ultimately ineffective.

Near the end of the match, El Tri failed to handle the pressure of another defeat and bad performance. This resulted in actions that led to ejections for Gerardo Torrado and Carlos Vela, which further proved the superiority of the Catrachos in the match.

Of course, the slippery and horrible state of the field in the rain played a significant role in Mexico's performance, since they were unable to develop their quick-touch style of game and instead had many imprecise and bad passes.

But from the start of the match it appeared that El Tri went to Honduras to negotiate the best outcome that would favor both sides.

In the other 'simultaneous' match, Jamaica kept scoring, which added further tension to the México camp. They faced an impending defeat yet produced no reaction to help rectify their precarious situation in qualification.

With the final result, the Catrachos arrive to the final round of qualification with motivation and the confidence that they will be a serious contender for one of the CONCACAF spots in South Africa 2010.

El Tri also advanced to the final round, thanks to their perfect home form, but the team struggled more than expected in away fixtures. Their performances have generated many doubts.

Regardless, they achieved their objective of qualifying and despite the defeat will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the region.

The "Group of Death" did justice to its name with a dramatic and intense finish to the semifinal round of CONCACAF qualification.

First Half

The match kicked-off on a wet and slippery pitch, with action representative of two teams determined to advance to the final round with a victory.

Before the minute mark, David Suazo passed the ball back to his own area and compromised the defense amid pressure by forward Matías Vuoso. He never gave up and almost opened the score as his shot was deflected for a corner.

From the resulting corner kick, Suazo took off on a counter, but was slowed down by the pulls-and-tugs of El Tri midfielder Gerardo Torrado. Fernando Arce ultimately caught up to Suazo and relieved the impending danger of the first of many Honduras attacks.

The Catrachos soon began to demonstrate an early control of the match. The gradually deteriorating field conditions began to affect Mexico's touch, which began to show signs of imprecision.

In the eighth minute, Honduras missed a clear opportunity in front of the México goal, when defender Hendry Thomas shot over the crossbar and missed a great opportunity for the locals.

Honduras began to demonstrate a superior midfield dominance as they recovered possession and initiated a relentless assault on the México defense. Carlos Costly and 'El Rey' David Suazo generated most of the chances.

After many attempts, Andrés Guardado finally broke free and delivered a dangerous cross that caused problems in the Honduras box. Matías Vuoso took the rebound and sent a dangerous shot that went just wide of the goal defended by goalkeeper Noel Valladares.

Guatemalan referee Carlos Batres began to assume a protagonist role, arriving late to plays and missing some clear foul calls.

In the dying minutes of the first half, both sides began to slow down their pace.

Honduras pushed the attack and played like the team that needed the win. They chased everything, won every 50-50 ball and pushed El Tri further back in their own half.

For their part, México appeared to settle in the back and wait for Honduras without risking too much at the offensive end.

Both sides were severely affected by the messy field conditions which led to many missed passes and interfered in the creative element of the match. The result was a fast, unpredictable game that played to the athletic strength of the Catrachos.

With Jamaica taking only a 1-0 lead against Canada in the other match, when six goals were needed, both México and Honduras headed into the locker room with a preliminary step in the Hexagonal.

Second Half

El Tri was the first team to take the pitch after the break ,and it appeared that Honduras and coach Reinaldo Rueda were trying to milk as much extra time from the break by delaying their arrival on the pitch.

A factor for this delay could have been that the 'simultaneous' Jamaica-Canada match had been delayed by several minutes, and the Catrachos intended not to concede any advantages by starting the second half a few minutes earlier.

The second half got under way after a break of more than 20 minutes. For Honduras, Danilo Turcios came in for the injured Hendry Thomas.

El Tri began to show a different side than their first half performance. In the 48th minute, an Andrés Guardado corner kick resulted in the most clear opportunity of the match for El Tri, when a header by Matías Vuoso struck the crossbar.

Soon after, another dubious foul call by referee Batres resulted in a dangerous scenario outside the México box, as the Catrachos continued to push El Tri back towards their own goal.

Finally, the sell-out crowd erupted thanks to an unfortunate circumstance for México. Wilson Palacios delivered a venomous corner kick which resulted in a Ricardo Osorio own goal in the 51st minute, to hand Honduras the 1-0 lead and the qualification.

After the shock of the goal, an unsettled Mexico squad continued to lose the ball against an inspired Honduras that did not relinquish their attack.

Referee Batres decided on the wrong side of many foul calls that were a result of the slippery field conditions rather than any bad intention.

The first real attack combination for México came in the 70th minute, when Guardado and substitute Carlos Vela perfectly executed a give-and-go, that resulted in another Vuoso shot that threatened the Honduran goal.

México coach Sven-Goran Eriksson then decided to play all his cards and introduced into the match Nery Castillo and Omar Bravo. Despite a powerful left-footed shot by Castillo, both forwards could do little given the lack of attacking options generated by El Tri.

The pressure and anger got to México. Torrado and Vela exited the match in ridicule with unnecessary fouls that resulted in their direct expulsions.

As the final minutes approached, Honduras continued to be an ever-present danger against a short-handed México that simply wanted the referee blow the final whistle of the match.

Seconds before that sound, news began to circulate of the final 3-0 Jamaica/Canada score and the crowd at the estadio Metropolitano erupted in joy. Their team would qualify to the Hexagonal as first in the "Group of Death."

The match ended with a deserved, but still fortuitous 1-0 victory for the Catrachos. In recent years, they have claimed a dominance over El Tri when playing at home.

Lineups

Honduras
Noel Valladares; Iván Guerrero, Víctor Bernárdez, Maynor Figueroa, Sergio Mendoza; Wilson Palacios, Amado Guevara, Emil Martínez (Ramón Núñez 71), Hendry Thomas (Danilo Turcios 46); Carlos Costly, David Suazo

México
Oswaldo Sánchez; Ricardo Osorio, Rafael Márquez, Aarón Galindo, Carlos Salcido; Gerardo Torrado, Pável Pardo, Fernando Arce (Nery Castillo 72), Andrés Guardado; Antonio Naelson ‘Sinha’ (Carlos Vela 57), Vicente Matías Vuoso (Omar Bravo 82)

Scoring
HON: Ricardo Osorio ‘51 (own goal)

Cautionary
HON: Wilson Palacios (Yellow ‘46), Carlos Costly (Yellow ‘86), Amado Guevara (Yellow ‘90)

MEX: Fernando Arce (Yellow ‘30), Antonio Naelson (Yellow ‘52), Rafael Márquez (Yellow ‘59), Gerardo Torrado (Red ‘87), Carlos Vela (Red ‘88)

Referee
Carlos Batres (GUA)

--César García covers México for Goal.com.

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