Carlos Costly scored two goals and Carlos Pavon added another as
Honduras tore apart a weak Mexico side 3-1 in Estadio Olimpico in San
Pedro Sula on Wednesday night.

The loss was Mexico’s second setback in three World Cup qualifiers.
Mexico have three points while Honduras, who played their first home
match in the Hexagonal phase, improved to four points this round.

Nery Castillo scored Mexico’s lone goal on a penalty kick, after El Tri had fallen behind by three goals.

Mexico had beaten Costa Rica 2-0 on Saturday and appeared to have
regained their swagger with their convincing victory over los Ticos.
Instead, the road woes again plagued Mexico. El Tricolor fell to 0-4-1
in their last five World Cup qualifying matches played outside of
Mexico.

The match actually started well for Mexico. Barely 43
seconds in, Carlos Vela drew a foul just outside the arc. The foul,
which would be a bit of a theme in the early going, set up Luis Perez
as the Monterrey man fired a free kick on goal. Honduras ‘keeper Noel
Valladares dived and parried the ball away.

Honduras then began to
put pressure on the Mexican backline. In the ninth minute, Pavon found
space in the middle of the field and dribbled the ball toward the
penalty area, but his delay in releasing a shot led to a poor angle and
ultimately wasted opportunity. Ramon Nuñez had another chance three
minutes later but he pushed his 20-yard shot just high over the
crossbar – he’d caught Guillermo Ochoa off his line and nearly made him
pay.

Mexico had a chance to break through in the 17th minute
when Leandro Augusto ripped a 25-yard free kick on goal but Valladares
did well to stop the ball on the line.

On their ensuing
possession, Honduras broke through. Costly controlled a ball on the
left flank – and appeared to do so with help from his left hand. He
muscled Leobardo Lopez off the ball, dribbled into the penalty area and
ripped a left-footed shot between Ochoa’s legs and into the back of the
net.

Costly’s goal ensured that Mexico would once again give up
a goal in a road qualifier. Mexico allowed a total of four goals in
three away matches during the semifinal phase and combined with their
2-0 loss at the U.S. in February, Costly’s goal was the seventh allowed
by El Tri in their last five road qualifiers.

Still, Honduras
were close to giving the lead right back. Pavel Pardo and Andres
Guardado were each fouled some 20 yards out on separate occasions some
five minutes apart. The first shot went nowhere, but the second attempt
nearly pulled Mexico level. Pardo sent his free kick just wide of the
goal as his 20-yard shot missed the left post by mere feet.

Mexico
suffered a loss in the 27th minute as Lopez was unable to continue.
Minutes earlier, Lopez appeared to hurt his foot on a free kick attempt
by Mexico, and the Pachuca defender hobbled around for a few minutes
before he was replaced. Aaron Galindo came on in Lopez’s place.

It
was not until the end of the first half that Honduras struck again.
Mauricio Sabillon sliced through Mexico’s defense, leaving behind
Augusto and Pardo, and played a ball to Pavon inside the penalty area.
Pavon slipped past the Mexican defense, chested the ball to himself and
hit a side volley into the back of the net.

The goal was
reminiscent of his performance eight years ago for Honduras. Pavon
scored three goals in a 3-1 World Cup qualifying win over Mexico in
qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.

Mexico manager Sven-Goran Eriksson replaced Perez with Matias Vuoso at
the break and began the second half with three strikers in Vela, Bravo
and Vuoso.

The move did not pay off immediately, as Mexico did not threaten much in
the early going. It was not until the 56th minute that Vela put some
pressure on the Honduran goal. Vela ripped a shot from outside the
penalty area on goal, but Valladares did well to pounce on the ball and
made the save.

Honduras mostly looked to defend and protect
their lead in the second half. On rare occasions the Hondurans sent
numbers forward. Even on set pieces, few Honduran players ventured into
the penalty area.

Mexico’s Castillo entered the match in place of Bravo and went
along the right flank as Vela and Vuoso played together up front.
However, Castillo immediately started arguing with an Honduran player
as Castillo seemed agitated over a foul he received from Wilson
Palacios. Teammate Guardado went over to try and control Castillo down,
but Castillo did not listen and kept arguing with Palacios.

Honduras continued their defensive stance as Mexico controlled
possession of the ball. Castillo drew a foul some 30 yards out in the
78th minute. Pardo swung a free kick into the penalty area but while
the ball was in a dangerous position, no Mexican player could reach it.

Pardo picked up a yellow card in the 79th minute after knocking Danilo Turcios in the middle of the field.

Honduras put the game away on the ensuing possession. On the free kick
from near the midfield line, Pavon headed the ball down to Turcios, who
slipped a ball over to Costly. From just inside the penalty area,
Costly knocked the ball into back of the net.

However, Mexico won a penalty kick in the 80th minute when Vela was
ruled to have been fouled inside the penalty area. Replays appeared to
show that Vela merely fanned on his attempt before falling, but Mexico
won a spot kick. Castillo took the penalty and converted it to score
his sixth goal with the national team. Honduras led 3-1 with less than
10 minutes remaining.

Castillo continued to make his presence known on the field, however, for the
wrong reasons. Castillo slammed Palacios in the ankle after Palacios
had sent a ball to a teammate. Palacios lay on the ground in apparent
pain while Castillo’s teammates surrounded Castillo and apparently
questioned his play.

Vela was booked in the 86th minute and marked the second time he’d
picked up a card in a match in Honduras. In November, Vela was sent off.

Salcido was sent off in the 88th minute after he dragged Pavon down
from behind. Pavon had gotten past Salcido on a counterattack and was
set to go into the penalty area alone on Ochoa. Salcido knocked Pavon
down and was immediately sent off.

Honduras closed out the game with the same 3-1 scoreline they enjoyed
over Mexico in 2001, the last time the teams met in the Hexagonal stage
in Honduras. Los Catrachos will next play the United States in Chicago
on June 6 while Mexico will play at El Salvador – their third road game
in four qualifiers – that same day.

Honduras: Noel Valladares; Mauricio Sabillon, Emilio Izaguirre,
Maynor Figueroa, Osman Chavez; Julio Cesar De Leon (Marvin Chavez, 90),
Amado Guevara, Wilson Palacios, Ramon Nuñez (Danilo Turcios, 74);
Carlos Pavon, Carlos Costly (Hendry Thomas, 82).

Mexico:
Guillermo Ochoa; Fausto Pinto, Leobardo Lopez (Aaron Galindo, 27),
Carlos Salcido, Jonny Magallon; Andres Guardado, Pavel Pardo, Leandro
Augusto, Luis Perez (Matias Vuoso, 46); Omar Bravo (Nery Castillo, 70),
Carlos Vela.

Goals

Honduras – Costly 17
Honduras – Pavon 44
Honduras – Costly 79
Mexico – Castillo (penalty) 82