Added time drama secures Honduras quarter final slot over battling Curaçao

Honduras 2 Curaçao 0

June 24 – In a winner-takes-all prize fight at the PayPal Park in San Jose, California, Honduras put the memory of their horrific opening game behind them to qualify for the quarrter finals and a meeting with Guatemala at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

But this was no easy task for them in a contest that ebbed and flowed with both sides having chances to put the tie away and a frantic crescendo that in added time saw Curaçao blow a golden chance to win, only for Honduras to go straight back up the other end and for Luis Palma to hammer the nail in the second place group finish.

Honduras and Curaçao entered their final Group B contest knowing that a win for either of them would guarantee progression to the quarter finals.

Honduras had opened their campaign with a humiliating 6-0 thrashing by Canada in Vancouver, but had then redeemed themselves with a win over El Salvador in Houston and were sitting second in the group.

Curaçao had two draws coming into the final game, including an impressive comeback against Canada that they could have turned into a win in the final minutes of added time.

Curaçao, managed by the Dutch coaching legend Dick Advocaat, again started at a measured pace. With Honduras setting the early pace they had territorial advantage but not until the 20^th minute did they look to have made it count.

Joseph Rosales was tugged running into the box by Josh Brenet and the referee immediately pointed to the spot. It looked like a poor decision with Rosales initially looking to have ridden the pull before going down. VAR intervened and the penalty was cancelled.

In the 31^st minute Honduras did take the lead with a beauty from Jorge Alvarez. Receiving the ball 25m out from the centre of goal, he put just enough bend on the ball to beat Eloy Room.

Curaçao now upped their intensity as they attacked with more urgency and squeezed Honduras faster as they hunted for possession.

In the 41^st minute their pressure was rewarded with the most disastrous of goalkeeping errors. A Curaçao corner flew over the top with Honduras goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar coming out to punch the ball, and under no pressure, missing his punch with the ball hitting his shoulder and heading behind him into his own goal. It was the kind of blunder that Scotland’s goalkeepers of the 1980s would have applauded.

The teams went into the half time break with Curaçao having finished stronger and Honduras wondering what had just happened.

With Canada drawing in Houston with El Salvador, if the scores in both matches were still level then Honduras would go through to the knockout rounds.

Curaçao continued their pressure in the second half with Honduras defending deep and narrow. Deybi Flores and Kervin Arraiga aggressively policed the space in front of their back four keeping Curaçao at bay,

As Honduras soaked up the pressure began to apply pressure of their own.

In the 70^th minute Romell Quioto received a return ball in the Curaçao box but hit his shot into the post.

Advocaat’s response was to bring on fresh legs up front with the substantial presence of Gervane Kasteneer who had an immediate impact laying off the ball for Brenet who fired over.

On 78 minutes Honduras hit the woodwork again with Antony Lozano heading a flighted free kick from Rosales on to the bar.

In the 83^rd minute Menjivar made up for his earlier error, diving to palm away a Roshon van Eijma header from a corner.

With play becoming frantically end-to-end, Curaçao almost had a winner in the 90^th minute with Jurgen Locarda hammering over the bar from 5m out but claiming he was pushed in the back.

But it was Honduras who made the killer blow. Back up the other end and a minute into added time Luis Palma beat his marker to latch on to a through ball in the box and hit the roof of Room’s net.

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