Honduras whip TT 2-0 in ill-tempered affair

HONDURAS whipped TT 2-0 in an ill-tempered affair on Thursday evening, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, in a Concacaf Nations League, League A, Group C encounter.

Brayan Moya and Douglas Martinez were the goal-getters for Honduras, with TT finishing the game with nine men as Levi Garcia and Mekeil Williams were sent off by referee Mario Escobar.

This result will certainly heap more pressure on TT’s beleaguered coach Dennis Lawrence, whose winless run has now been extended to 13 (nine defeats and four draws).

TT entered this match on the back of two drawn results (1-1 and 2-2) against the other team in Group C, Martinique. Honduras were playing their first game in the group.

Lawrence made two changes from last month’s 2-2 draw against Martinique at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, with captain Khaleem Hyland and left-back Williams replacing Kevan George and Aubrey David.

Hyland played his part in TT’s first attack on the Honduras goal, in the third minute. The TT skipper picked out fellow midfielder Kevin Molino to his left, and Molino’s right-footed effort went wide of the mark.

Sheldon Bateau, who wore the captain’s armband against Martinique, almost gifted Honduras an opening goal four minutes later. The central defender took too long to control a back pass and saw his shot crash off Honduras’ striker Bryan Rochez, leaving TT goalkeeper Marvin Phillip to rush back to clear the looping ball off the line.

Bateau, on the other end of the field, came close in the 27th minute, as he met Molino’s corner with a header which crashed off the crossbar, with the loose ball cleared off the line by defender Felix Crisanto.

In a rare TT foray, Hyland took a ball from Molino and sent his left-footed drive overbar, while Honduras’ skipper Maynor Figueroa forced Phillip to push a powerfully-hit freekick overbar.

Honduras changed gears in the second half, with Phillip forced to parry a low right-footed shot from Ever Alvarado but a lurking Alberth Elis sent the rebound high, from a few metres out.

Honduras eventually broke the deadlock in the 51st, with a close-range left-footed shot from Moya, after Elis left TT centre-back Daneil Cyrus for dead, on the left by-line.

Debutant Akeem Garcia, who came on for an ineffective striker Daniel Carr in the 61st, was deployed in his unaccustomed role as centre forward.

He had a chance to tie the scores six minutes later when he ran at a pass from Hyland but sent a low right-footed shot wide off Luis Lopez’s goal.

Levi Garcia was given his marching orders two minutes later, for a second bookable offence (after fouls on Alvarado in the 47th and Jonathan Toro), while Molino vented his frustration at the referee and got a yellow card.

The TT players almost got into a brawl with their opponents in the 84th after Alvin Jones got into a tangle with Carlos Pineda; Rigoberto Rivas and Phillip were subsequently booked by the referee.

With the TT players looking for an elusive equaliser, Honduras capitalised on defensive gaps to net their second item, in the 89th.

Once again, Cyrus was left twisting and turning by Elis, who squared the ball to an unmarked Martinez, to his left, and the substitute midfielder slotted the ball past Phillip.

Williams added salt to his team’s wounds with a lunging tackle on Crisanto, in the 90th.

Honduras will play their next two Nations League, League A Group C matches at home – against Martinique on Sunday and TT on November 17.

Teams –

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Marvin Phillip; Sheldon Bateau, Daneil Cyrus, Mekeil Williams, Alvin Jones; Leston Paul (Ataulla Guerra 73rd), Khaleem Hyland, Ryan Telfer (Duane Muckette 84th), Levi Garcia, Kevin Molino; Daniel Carr (Akeem Garcia 61st).

HONDURAS: Luis Lopez; Maynor Figueroa (capt), Henry Figueroa, Ever Alvarado, Felix Crisanto; Carlos Pineda, Jonathan Toro, Alberth Elis, Alexander Lopez (Jorge Alvarez 74th); Brayan Moya (Douglas Martinez 80th), Bryan Rochez (Rigoberto Rivas 67th).