Honduras Draw First Blood Against Mexico in CONCACAF Nations League Quarterfinals

Mexico lost its first official competitive fixture since the return of Javier Aguirre with a 2-0 defeat against Honduras.

Just like last year, when El Trí faced a similar setback against Honduras, they now find themselves needing a decisive victory when the two teams meet again this Tuesday, November 19, in Toluca, Mexico State.

Mexico's Starting XI

In the hours prior to kickoff, it was announced that Club América forward Henry Martín was informed that he would not be involved for tactical reasons and encouraged to take a seat in the stands.

The starting XI saw four changes from the lineup against the United States as Roberto Alvarado, Johan Vazqúez, Andrés Guardado and Luis Malágon all replaced by Julian Quinones, Israel Reyes, Luis Chávez and Guillermo Ochoa.

The inclusion of familiar names was expected, especially since Guardado's appearance against the U.S. carried sentimental value. However, Vásquez missed out due to an injury sustained while playing for Genoa. The decision to replace Malágon with Ochoa surprised many, as the Club América goalkeeper has long been considered Mexico's first choice.

First Half

Very little sepearated the two sides going into the break. Mexico's best chance came early in the game when a looping ball flew over the Honduras defence and into the path of in-form Raúl Jiménez, but the Fulham forward was unable to direct his effort on goal.

Honduras created a few chances of their own in the first half, but failed to test the legendary Ochoa in the Mexican net.

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Second Half

The second half started with more purpose and intent as Mexico went millimetres away from opening the scoring with Quinones saw his effort from outside of the box tipped onto the post by Edrick Menjivar.

On the hour mark, the home side took a deserved lead considering the game's balance. Cesar Montes' attempted clearance fell perfectly to Edwin Rodríguez whose effort was palmed away by Ochoa towards the direction of second half substitute Luis Palma who was able to slot the rebound into the back of the net.

Honduras put the nail in the coffin with eight minutes left on the clock when the Glasgow Celtic winger, Palma, was gifted time and space outside of the box to curl his effort towards the bottom right corner, beating the diving Ochoa.

Full Time

Concerns arose for Javier Aguirre after the 65-year-old was seen with a head injury caused by an object thrown in his direction at the full-time whistle. While reports indicate he is okay, post-match images sparked alarm.

The teams now turn their attention to Toluca for the second leg. Honduras will be eager to avoid a repeat of last year when they failed to maintain a two-goal lead against Mexico, hoping this time they’ve learned from past mistakes.

Can Mexico turn it around against the 76th seeded team in the world? Let us know your thoughts!