- January, 26 2009 -
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JANUARY 26TH - TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS: Honduras delighted the capacity crowd of over 26,000 people on Monday night by maintaining its unbeaten run in the Copa Digicel and finishing top of Group A with a comprehensive 2-0 win over El Salvador.
El Salvador came into this game knowing that a win was required if they were to avoid being pitted against tournament favorites and current Copa Digicel holders, Costa Rica, in the semi final matching.
With the knowledge of such hard opposition in the final qualification round for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in the coming months, El Salvador took this opportunity to show that it has no intention of being the whipping boys in the final hurdle for the CONCACAF sides to go through to the beautiful games World showpiece.
Despite El Salvador’s intentions and strong start, particularly in the midfield battle, Honduras finally broke the deadlock after 33 minutes when the fans favorite, Carlos Pavon, was tackled inside the area and referee Walter Quezada had no other option but to point to the spot. Pavon dusted himself off and executed the perfect penalty with an unstoppable thunderbolt which nearly took the leather casing off the ball as it flew into the top corner of the net to make it 1 – 0 in favor of Honduras.
Minutes later, Emil Martinez had a golden opportunity to make it two when he received an inch perfect pass from Pavon, but took too much time on the ball and allowed the Salvadorian defenders time to regroup and surround the ball.
Just on the stroke of half time El Salvador had a golden chance to regain parity when striker Ramon Sanchez found himself all alone with the ball in front of Noel Valladares goal, but saw his misdirected shot go harmlessly wide, to the collective relief of the massive home crowd.
The second half turned into a real treat of football as El Salvador came out in the second half in search of the much needed goals, allowing Honduras to play the attacking style of football the capacity crowd simply demanded.
That demand was turned into thunderous screams from the crowd when Emil Martinez saw his 30 yard pile driver cannon off the post. The passionate crowd did not have to wait too much longer for that elusive second goal when on 71 minutes, striker Martin Chavez, made Montes pay for being out of position and simply passed his effort into the gaping net to make it 2 – 0
With the game now over as a contest, El Salvador saw out the remaining minutes content at keeping the respectable score intact and now face Costa Rica in the first semi final, while Honduras awaits the winner of Panama and Guatemala in the second semi final spot for the Copa Digicel.
Team Lineups
Honduras: 18. Noel Valladares, 2. Osman Chávez, 5. Erick Norales, 7. Emíl Martínez, (12. Marvin Chávez), 9. Carlos Pavón (21. Emilio Izaguirre), 10. Danilo Turcios (16. Mario Rodríguez), 14. Oscar García, 15. Walter Martínez, 20. Amado Guevara, 2. Iván Guerrero, 25. Hendry Thomas.
El Salvador: 18. Miguel Montes, 17. Cristian Castillo (16. Edwin Miranda), 15. Alfredo Pacheco, 14. Rudis Corrales, 10. Eliseo Quintanilla, 8. William Romero (9. Salvador Coreas), 7. Ramón Sánchez, 6. Shawn Martins (11. Carlos Ayala), 5. Luís Hernández, 2. Alexander Escobar, 3. Marvin Gonzales.
Referee: Walter Quezada (Costa Rica)
POSITIONS TABLE
Group A, DIGICEL Cup
TEAMS GP W D L GS GA PTS
Honduras 03 03 00 00 08 02 09
El Salvador 03 01 01 01 05 04 04
Nicaragua 03 00 02 01 03 06 02
Belice 03 00 01 02 03 07 01
GP: Games Played, W: Wins, D:Ties, L: Losses, GS: Goals Scored, GA: Goals Against
ABOUT DIGICEL GROUP
Since its launch in 2001, Digicel has become the largest wireless telecommunications operator in the Caribbean with more than six million customers. After seven years, Digicel is renowned for competitive rates, unbeatable coverage, superior customer care, a wide variety of products and services and state-of-the-art handsets. By offering innovative wireless services and community support, Digicel has become a leading brand in the Caribbean and has placed the region at the cutting-edge of wireless communications – the company is also a new entrant to the Central American market.
Since its launch in 2001, Digicel has become the largest wireless telecommunications operator in the Caribbean with more than six million customers. After seven years, Digicel is renowned for competitive rates, unbeatable coverage, superior customer care, a wide variety of products and services and state-of-the-art handsets. By offering innovative wireless services and community support, Digicel has become a leading brand in the Caribbean and has placed the region at the cutting-edge of wireless communications – the company is also a new entrant to the Central American market.
Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and now has operations in 31 markets worldwide. Its Caribbean and Central American markets comprise Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Panama, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks & Caicos. The Caribbean company also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barths. Digicel Pacific comprises Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.
Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean and Central American sports teams, including the West Indies Cricket Team and Special Olympics teams throughout the region. Digicel is also title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Championships and the Copa de Naciones Digicel, which are the Caribbean and Central American qualifiers to the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
