For the second straight game, it’s late disappointment for Panama.
After conceding a late equalizer against Haiti in the Group A opener, Los Canaleros would do the same against Honduras. In a game between two teams vying to be perceived as the fourth best team in CONCACAF, the end result was a share of the spoils. I talked in depth about these two sides prospects leading up to the Gold Cup which you can read here.
Another Draw for Panama as Honduras Scores Late
Panama took advantage of Honduras’ overly physical play to open up the scoring. In the 21st minute, they put together a nice training ground move off a set piece roughly 25 yards outside the box.
Luis Tejada at the right place at the right time to nab the opening goal for Panama. #GoldCup2015 http://t.co/uktZxpYBcc
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 10, 2015
Gabriel Gomez threaded a low, diagonal ball out right to Armando Cooper who immediately centered it off one touch towards Luis Tejada. A confused Honduras defense proved unable to prevent Tejada from chesting it into the net to draw first blood for the Panamanians.
You had to have thought that at some point, one of these teams would concede a penalty considering the physicality of the game and that’s exactly what happened. In the 78th minute, former DC United winger Andy Najar would make a run into the box from the left. Cooper, the assist man on the Panama goal, would ultimately aid the opponent in tripping up Najar, forcing the referee to point to the spot.
After a few minutes of arguing over the call and the two teams getting in each other’s faces, Najar would step up to take the penalty. Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo would guess right and get a hand on it, forcing the ball off the cross bar. Nevertheless, the rebound would come right to Najar’s feet and he wasted no time putting it in the net on the second chance ball.
Andy Najar follows up his own penalty miss to draw Honduras level against Panama. #GoldCup2015 http://t.co/ZvCBX2qTG5
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 10, 2015
Honduras had two potential goals called off due to offside.
The first came in the 66th minute when Los Catrachos tried to emulate Panama with a combination play set piece goal of their own. Mario Martinez took the initial pass off the free kick and fired it at goal, hitting the cross bar in the process. Eddie Hernandez headed the rebound in but was adjudged to be offside.
Three minutes into stoppage time, Hernandez would once again score what initially looked to be the go-ahead goal. The 63rd minute substitute would connect on Najar’s service from the left but once again the assistant referee’s flag went up.
For the most part, Honduras controlled the ball and had the majority of chances throughout the game, particularly after conceding the first goal. They had a 59-41 edge in possession along with 21 total shots compared to Panama’s eight. They also connected on many of those shots, forcing seven saves out of Penedo while Honduras keeper Denis Escober only needed to make two.
This was an intense, chippy game marked by a great deal of aggressive challenges from both teams. At times, it escalated into full-out hostility between the two times. In total, the referee was forced to call 47 fouls and hand out eight cards including a late red to Panama defender Luis Henriquez.
The rough and tumble play drew this observation from MLS Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle on Twitter:
Anyway, back to the Gold Cup: #HONvPAN is 1 part soccer, 1 part community theater, 3 parts attempted manslaughter. #CONCACAFTASTIC
— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) July 10, 2015
The result means that Panama are now second in the group with two points. Honduras are tied with Haiti on points with one but are currently last in the group due to their -1 goal difference.
Group play concludes for both teams on Monday at the home of MLS’ Sporting Kansas City.
Assuming the United States gets the full three points against Haiti, the Hondurans have a huge opportunity to finish second in the group. A win over the Haitians would accomplish that.
For Panama, it’s a challenging conclusion to group A as they face the USMNT and will be missing their regular starting left back Henriquez due to suspension. If they finish the group stuck on two points, it may be difficult for them to qualify for the quarterfinals as one of the two best third-place finishers.
Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images
