Honduras Wins

Hendry Thomas’ goal midway through the second half led Honduras to a 2-1 victory over Colombia in an exhibition match Wednesday night.

Before an evenly divided Honduran and Colombian capacity crowd of 18,886 at Lockhart Stadium, Thomas broke a 1-1 tie with his goal in the 63rd minute. Thomas was positioned near the far post when he received Amado Guevara’s free kick from the right wing and headed in a shot past goalkeeper Agustin Julio.

Noel Valladares made two key saves late in the contest and preserved Honduras’ lead. In the 83rd minute, Valladares stopped Hugo Rodallega’s free kick that curved above an obstructed wall of Honduran defenders. Valladares’ leg save off Aquivaldo Mosquera’s point-blank shot inside the 6-yard box thwarted Colombia’s final threat.

Down 1-0 at halftime, Colombia tied the match on Wason Renteria’s goal in the 54th minute. Camilo Zuniga’s centering pass from the right wing reached the goal box, where Renteria headed it in.

David Suazo’s goal in the 30th minute gave Honduras a 1-0 lead. Julio De Leon’s long pass near the midfield circle to Suazo on the left wing bounced off Colombia defender Mosquera. Suazo retrieved the deflection, dribbled deep into the penalty area and beat Julio with a shot from 12 yards.

Colombia nearly tied the match 4 minutes later, but Renteria’s shot deep in the penalty area hit the left post.

Honduras will begin World Cup qualifying in June. Colombia currently is fourth after four rounds of South American zone World Cup qualifiers.


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