Honduras He won on Tuesday 2-0 to Nicaragua and went to lead Group C on the second day, corresponding to the last phase of the Concacaf Qualifiers for the 2026 Worldbeing favored by the draw between Costa Rica and Haiti 3-3. Honduras was overturned to the attack with the intention of putting an advantage soon, but Nicaragua responded with a defensive lock, avoiding that the Honduran attackers will finish off the goal.
The Hondurans had a greater possession of the ball thanks to the anticipation game they exercised to prevent the opponent from surprising the backlash. A shot by Joseph Rosales from outside the area and a header from Gelsel Montes, after a corner kick, were the most dangerous playing of Honduras in the first fifteen minutes of the game. A shot within the area in the 20th minute of Luis Palma was rejected by Nicaragua’s goalkeeper, preventing Anthony Lozano from scoring what could be Honduras’s first goal.
Quioto, author of one of Honduras’s goals, drives the ball
Nicaragua’s first play in the Honduras area came in the 23rd minute, with a corner launch without consequences. In the 25th minute, Julián Martínez finished off another corner launch against Nicaragua, who played everything defensive. The first direct shot of Honduras arrived in 32 on legs of Edwin Rodríguez, direct at the hands of Nicaragua’s goalkeeper, Miguel Rodríguez. In 33 Nicaragua responded with a shot by Ariel Arauz, to which goalkeeper Édrick Menjívar reacted by sending the ball to the corner kick with the fingertips.
In the second half Honduras returned to the offensive and in the 47th minute Romell Quioto finished off a pass from the left of Luis Palma to put the score 1-0. Nicaragua followed the defensive trying to harm the backlash, but the Honduran defense annulled most of his attempts. In 75, Nicaragua’s goalkeeper sent the corner a powerful shot by Alexy Vega, who had entered 64.
Byron Bonilla, who entered the selection of Nicaragua in the second half, in 79 sent the deviated ball in a free throw to the edge of the Honduran area. From the 80th Honduras minute, who had already exhausted all his changes, he played with ten men for the departure of David Ruiz, who had entered the 64 replacement of Edwin Rodríguez.
Technical file
2 – Honduras: Édrick Menjívar; Andy Nájar, Getsel Montes, Julián Martínez, Joseph Rosales; Deiby Flores, Edwin Rodríguez (David Ruiz M.64), Jorge Álvarez; Romell Quioto (Alexy Vega M.64), Anthony Lozano (Yustin Arboleda M.64) and Luis Palma.
Coach: Reinaldo Rueda.
0 – Nicaragua: Miguel Rodríguez; Josué Quijano, Óscar Acevedo, Henry Niño, Comusion Cano; Emmanuel Gómez (Jacob Montes M.46), Ariagner Smith, Jaime Moreno (Bancy Hernández M.56), Juan Barrera (Byron Bonilla M.46); Ariel Arauz and Marlon López.
Coach: Marco Antonio Figueroa.
Goals: 1-0, Romell Quioto (m. 47); 2-0, Alexy Vega (m. 90)
Referee: Armando Villarreal, from the United States. He showed yellow card to Anthony Lozano, from Honduras, and Óscar Acevedo, from Nicaragua.
Incidents: Party at the José de la Paz Herrera National Stadium, in Tegucigalpa, corresponding to the second day of Group C of the last qualifying phase of Concacaf for the 2026 World Cup.
Nicaragua advanced lines in the last minutes in an attempt to rescue the game, but time did not adjust him, although he put Honduras in trouble. In the 90th minute Honduras surprised with a goal from Alexy Vega for the final 2-0.
Taking advantage of a bad rejection of a defense of Nicaragua, who tried to return the ball to his goalkeeper, Vega was advanced and with a petroleum jelly surpassed him. While that happened, Costa Rica made the 3-3 draw against Haiti, a result that left Honduras leading Group C, with four points.
