Guatemala hold off Honduras
Reuters - Tuesday 07 June 2011, 06:18
LOS ANGELES - Guatemala held off Honduras
to grab a 0-0 draw in their Gold Cup Group B opener despite
finishing the game with nine men.
Defenders Gustavo Cabrera, in the 61 minute, and Henry
Medina, in the 78th, were sent off but still Guatemala managed
to deny their Central American rivals all three points during a
spirited and physical match that went against the early Gold Cup
trend of one-sided contests.
Goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez, who needed treatment on multiple
occasions in the second half, kept his Guatemala defense
organised but had to withstand some heavy Honduras pressure in
the final minutes to secure the point.
"This tie feels like a win," Jerez told reporters after he
was named man-of-the-match.
Honduras, who captured the Gold Cup in 1981 and were
considered dark horses to break up the recent monopoly of Mexico
and the United States, had some good chances to net the winning
goal with attacker Carlo Costly looking dangerous.
But Honduras, who competed at last year's World Cup in South
Africa, could not make the scoring connection much to the
frustration of head coach Luis Fernando Suarez.
"The way we played, we definitely didn't deserve to win,"
Suarez told reporters. "The players who were supposed to create
did not create the space."
Earlier in Group B, Jamaica, who Guatemala face in Miami on
Friday, thrashed Grenada 4-0 to top the standings.
Honduras will play Grenada in their second group match also
in Miami on Friday.