Mexico Takes Out Frustrations on Honduras

Mexico heads into the match coming off an embarrassing 3 – 0 defeat to their arch-rival the United States in the Nations League. The loss didn’t sit well with the players, fans, supporters, or the federation. Besides getting beat badly in every facet of the match the game was called off before the final whistle could blow due to the homophobic chants from the Mexican fan base towards Matt Turner and Team USA.

FIFA has warned and suspended Mexico for the chants in the past. It will be interesting to see the latest punishment from the organization. You could see the anger on Matt Turner’s face that they’re again having to deal with the fan’s nonsense and to make it worse the match was in Las Vegas, NV in the United States.

It wasn’t just a couple of drunk fans it was full sections participating in the vocal abuse. Could we see Mexico forced to play in front of empty stadiums again, possibly, could we see more severe sanctions on the Mexican federation and team also possible? It’s not like they weren’t warned and punished for it prior, showing how serious FIFA and the world are about this behavior.

Tonight’s match took place at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas another hotbed for Mexican fans in the United States. If the team from Mexico comes out poorly or is down all eyes will be focused on the fans. It’s a real tragedy that the fans, have taken the eyes off their team and placed it solely on them for despicable acts.

The match started off well for Mexico as they scored inside the 1′ of play (51 seconds) when Luis Romo slotted home a left-footed strike into the lower corner inside the 1st post, from atop the center of the box 19-yards out. Mexico kept their foot on the gas after taking the quick 1 – 0 lead.

In the 19′ Mexico had a chance to make it 2 -0 but Luis Chavez missed the golden opportunity handed to him at the 2nd post.

It’s a brace for Luis Romo who converts again on a corner kick, he received the ball off a header by Jesus Gallardo, who headed the ball straight down into the turf sending it bouncing toward the goal, Romo went up and headed it inside the 1st post opposite the direction the goalkeeper for Honduras went. In fairness to the keeper, he was reacting to Jesus’s header which was going toward the 2nd post.

Post match press conference for Mexico after their 4 – 0 win over Honduras.
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Luis Chavez who missed his chance at glory earlier was the corner kick taker. Mexico takes a demanding 2 – 0 lead in the 23′ (22:53) of the 1st half of play. Honduras has no answers for the Mexican side which have the building rocking.

Honduras tried to cut the deficit and get back into the match when Alexander Lopez generated an on-target opportunity in the 30’ and Deybi Flores got another good look one minute after that. But unfortunately for Honduras Mexico’s goalkeeper Ochoa was on tonight and not letting anything past him. Jorge Benguche had an attempt of his own in the 39’, but Mexico held the two-goal lead into halftime and look poised to take the match if things continue like this.

In the 52′ Mexico would take a commanding 3 – 0 lead after this marvelous display by Orbelin Pineda. He danced between three defenders and let off a rocket inside the box, hitting the upper 90 of the 1st post with ease and force.

With the 3 – 0 lead Mexico would continue to pressure Honduras and pin them in their back third for a good portion of the second half. Luis Chavez would finally get his goal in the 64′ when Mexico played a ball into the box, and it deflected off several players before finding Chavez who went with a toe strike to beat the goalkeeper low 2nd post for a 4 – 0 lead.

Honduras would have two solid chances to break the clean sheet, but Ochoa was having none of it stopping both attempts with relative ease. Tonight, it was all Mexico, all the time, and Honduras had no answers for the angry Mexican side who had a point to make after its humiliating defeat to the United States.

Key fact: Luis Romo scored the third-fastest goal in the history of the Gold Cup and, at the same time, became the third player to debut for Mexico by scoring a brace. The other two players were Benjamín Galindo in 1991 and Ricardo Pelaez in 1996.

Mexico will return to action on Thursday, June 29th, in a clash of winners as they face Haiti at 10 P.M., while the two losers from the first match in Group B, Qatar, and Honduras, will square off at State Farm Stadium starting at 7:45 P.M.

Photo Credit: Concacaf.com