Email
Print
Digg This
By Carlos Calvo
MEXICO CITY, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Midfielder Pavel Pardo scored both goals as Mexico came from behind to beat Honduras 2-1 and give coach Sven-Goran Eriksson a winning start in the third round of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.
Also victorious in Wednesday night's action were the United States, 1-0 winners in Guatemala with a Carlos Bocanegra header, Costa Rica, who beat El Salvador 1-0 in San Jose, and Trinidad & Tobago, who ran out 3-1 winners over Cuba in Havana.
Canada were held to a 1-1 draw by Jamaica in Toronto and Haiti and Suriname drew 2-2 in Port-au-Prince.
Honduras shocked Mexico -- who reached the second round of the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany before losing to Argentina -- when Julio Cesar de Leon, nicknamed Rambo, put them ahead with a 35th-minute free kick in the Group B match at the Azteca.
Pardo struck twice in four minutes in the last quarter to turn the match around and Honduras had Maynor Figueroa sent off after the winning goal, scored from a long-range free kick, for dissent as the Honduran claimed there had been an offside.
TWO OFF
Two players were sent off at the Mateo Flores Stadium in Guatemala City where the U.S. made a winning start in Group A, with American Steve Cherundolo sent off on the hour and Gustavo Cabrera of the home team following three minutes later.
Guatemala played the better football but defender Bocanegra headed the only goal from a corner in the 69th minute while Tim Howard had a fine game in the U.S. goal.
In the Group C match at the Saprissa Stadium in San Jose, Alvaro Saborio was hero and villain, converting a 48th-minute penalty for Costa Rica's victory but earning a red card near the end for violent conduct.
Costa Rica could have taken the lead six minutes earlier but midfielder Eliseo Quintanilla missed a penalty.
Trinidad & Tobago, who reached the World Cup finals for the first time in 2006, are also in Group A. Keon Daniel scored in the 27th and 61st minutes with Cornell Glen adding the third in the 66th. Jeniel Marquez scored a late consolation for Cuba.
Haiti's Frantz Gilles and Brunel Fucien scored goals in the dying minutes of the Group C match at Port-au-Prince to secure a point after Christoph Wensley had given Suriname a two-goal lead.
A 52nd-minute own goal by Canada goalkeeper Pat Onstad handed Jamaica a point in the Group B game at Toronto's BMO Field where Julian de Guzman had put the home side ahead five minutes earlier.
The third round of qualifiers will be completed by Nov. 19 with the top two in each of the three groups qualifying for next year's final round-robin stage, from which three teams go through to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The fourth-placed team will face a playoff against the fifth-placed team in South America.
