Honduras stun Mexico in Gold Cup
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey: Carlos Costly scored twice to give Honduras a shock 2-1 win over Mexico in the Gold Cup on Sunday and keep their campaign alive.
Costly powered home a header in the first minute of added time from a left-wing cross by Emilio Izaguirre to win the Group C match at a packed Giants Stadium.
In the other group match, Panama missed a penalty in the last minute to draw 2-2 with Cuba. Panama have four points from two games, Mexico and Honduras each have three and Cuba has one point.
The defeat was a bitter blow for four-times Gold Cup winners Mexico, who played most of the second half with 10 men after striker Cuauhtemoc Blanco was sent off for elbowing defender Jorge Samuel Caballeros at a corner.
The Mexicans, under new coach Hugo Sanchez, struggled to beat unfancied Cuba 2-1 in their first match on Friday, while Honduras lost their opening match 3-2 to Panama.
Amado Guevara hit the post with a penalty for Honduras in the 14th minute after Carlos Pavan was brought down in the area, before Blanco gave Mexico the lead just before the half hour mark.
A target of tough Honduran tackling throughout, Blanco calmly scored from the spot after Alberto Medina was tripped in the area by Izaguirre.
Costly then brought the scores level in the second half when he latched on to a long through ball and waltzed round goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez to score from a tight angle.
Just as the game looked headed for a draw Costly popped up to head home the winner.
Agencies
(China Daily 06/12/2007 page23)
