A brace from Club América forward Henry Martín carried Mexico to a comeback 4-2 aggregate victory over Honduras in the knockout round of the Concacaf Nations League.
Initially down 2-0 after last Friday’s away leg, Mexico kicked off Tuesday’s second leg in Toluca with immediate attacking pressure against Honduras’ backline.
In a first half that included 14 shots, El Tri constantly threw numbers forward and regularly tested opposing goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar. Honduras, in response, did well to soak up pressure and gradually tire out the home side, which began to look frustrated.
Then arrived a momentum-changing strike from Raúl Jiménez late into the first half.
Following a deep run from Chivas left-back Jesus Orozco Chiquete that led to a low cross from the central defender, Jimenez rapidly stuck out his boot to meet the ball that ricocheted into Honduras’ net in the 42nd minute.
After the halftime break, El Tri continued to look proactive with their attack-minded approach.
Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images
Mexico further strengthened its frontline with two out-and-out strikers on the pitch thanks to the 66th minute additions of César Huerta, Jorge Sánchez, and Martin off the bench. The gamble paid off for head coach Javier Aguirre, who soon took a 2-0 lead in the second half.
Moments after a cross off a corner from Alexis Vega in the 72nd minute, Jimenez slightly deflected the ball and set up Martin with a close-range shot that doubled El Tri’s lead.
After leveling the quarterfinal series, Mexico’s confidence changed allowing them to add more goals to the scoresheet.
Vega, with plenty of time in the 85th minute to look for options in the final third, lofted a pass to Sanchez, who then powered a shot past Menjivar to make it 3-2.
Then, in the 97th minute, Martin would cement their dominant home performance with a goal off a penalty that secured the 4-2 aggregate scoreline by the final whistle.
With the result in hand, Mexico and Aguirre have moved on to the semifinal round of the Nations League and qualified for 2025’s Concacaf Gold Cup. Honduras will have a second chance to qualify for the Gold Cup through a preliminary competition.
In the quarterfinal first leg last Friday, Aguirre was hit in the head with a beer can at Honduras’ Estadio Francisco Morazan. Concacaf responded to the incident by handing a one-match ban and fine for Honduras, while also opening up a separate investigation regarding the conduct of Mexico’s coach during the game.
Aguirre brushed off the can-throwing incident that left him bleeding profusely from the head.
