The “H” for pure goal. The Honduras team beat the Haiti team 3-0 and with 8 points out of a possible 12, they regained the lead in Group “C” in the Concacaf qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
After the fourth day, the Haitian team was left with 5 units and dropped to third place in the sector, while the Costa Rican national team beat Nicaragua 4-1 to climb to second place with 6 points, trailing the Hondurans. Meanwhile, the Nicaraguans are bottom with just 1 unit on the table.
Honduras’ rivals in November, on the road, will be against Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The country that finishes in first place will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup to be held in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The second will go to an international play-off.
The pupils of Colombian coach Reinaldo Rueda showed a different side of the team that drew 0-0 last Thursday with Costa Rica and this time they dealt a hard blow to Haiti, which on the third day reached the lead after beating Nicaragua 3-0.
The “Catrachos” went into the break with a three-goal advantage. Honduras advanced lines from the start of the match, played quickly and exercised greater personal marking to avoid surprises against the Haitians, who created several dangerous plays in the first half.
Midfielders Rigoberto Rivas, Luis Palma and Romell Quioto, and defender Andy Nájar, frequently surpassed the Caribbean defenders, who were also watching Anthony “Choco” Lozano, attacking through the center, against a visiting team with bigger and faster players.
The first goal for the “H” was a goal from Rigoberto Rivas, after entering the area on a run in the 18th minute, taking advantage of a good long pass from Kevin Arriaga. Haitian goalkeeper Johnny Placide delayed his start and paid dearly with Rivas’s fine touch towards the nets.
And then, attacker Anthony Lozano, captain of the Honduran team, doubled the score in the 26th minute, after combining well with midfielder Luis Palma, who extended a deep ball for the onslaught of “Choco” who entered the area and after eluding two defenders scored a right-footed shot to the side of the Caribbean goalkeeper.
And with the Central Americans well oiled, Romell Quioto put the finishing touch when the clock showed 39 minutes. After a good projection by the right back Andy Nájar and his low shot that was half rejected by goalkeeper Placide, Quioto emerged like a storm to take the ball between two Haitians and with a left foot beat the opposing team. 3-0 and party in the stands.
Subsequently, the Haitian team reacted as best they could and tried with high crosses into the area and mid-distance shots, with Duckens Nazon appearing in their attack.
Josué Casimir, Martin Experience and Frantzdy Pierrot also looked for him without success in the first half, during which the Honduran goalkeeper, Édrick Menjívar, had little work.
In the second episode, Haiti came out with a different attitude in an attempt to rescue the game, while Honduras continued with the same dynamic and trying to slow down when it was convenient for them to kill time.
In the 53rd minute, Haiti’s goalkeeper, Placide, neutralized a point-blank shot by Luis Palma.
In the 76th minute, Honduras made its first three changes to put fresh legs in its midfield and seek a broader result, while Haiti wasted the few opportunities it managed to overcome the defense of the Central American team.
Placide prevented the “catrachos” from scoring at least two more goals in the last minutes of the match, which in the end brought a big smile to the fans of Honduras, the new leader of group C and with many options to get their ticket to next year’s World Cup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OLjBPBmCpk
This is how they aligned
– Honduras (3): Edrick Menjívar; Andy Nájar, Getsel Montes (Luis Fernando Vega m.75), Marcelo Santo, Joseph Rosales; Kevin Arriaga, Rigoberto Rivas (José Mario Pinto m.76), Deiby Flores, Luis Palma (Carlos Pineda m.76); Romell Quioto and Anthony Lozano (Jorge Benguché m.88).
– Selector: Reinaldo Rueda.
– Haiti (0): Johnny Placide; Ricardo Ade, Josué Casimir, Jean Kevin Duverne, Garven Metusala (Hannes Delcroix m.46); Derrick Etienne (Leverton Pierre m.46), Martin Experience, Frantzdy Pierrot (Woobens Pacius m.87); Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (Louicius Don Deedson m.85) and Duckens Nazon (Ruben Providence m.63).
– Selector: Sebastian Migne.
– Goals: 1-0, m.18: Rigoberto Rivas. 2-0. m.26: Anthony Lozano. 3-0, m.39: Romell Quioto.
– Referee: Oshane Anthony Nation, from Jamaica. He showed yellow cardboard to Palma, Quioto and Arriaga, from Honduras.
– Incidents: Match of the fourth day of Group C of the Concacaf qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup played at the José de la Paz Herrera National Stadium in front of more than 20,000 spectators.
