HOUSTON, Texas – Mexico picked up a 4-0 victory over Honduras in the second Group B match of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage on Sunday night at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

The victory marked a first for debuting head coach Jaime Lozano. Mexico improved to a 14W-1D-2L record in opening matches at the Gold Cup and have now won four straight Gold Cup matches against the Catrachos.

Mexico came racing out of the gates and Luis Romo opened the scoring, 1-0, in the first minute with a left-footed strike to the bottom right corner of goal.

Mexico remained dangerous in the opening stretch and nearly had a second in the 19’, but Luis Chavez could not connect cleanly at the second post.

Romo completed his first international brace to extend the lead to 2-0 in the 23’ off a corner kick service headed over by Jesus Gallardo.

Honduras attempted to cut the deficit with Alexander Lopez generating an on-target opportunity in the 30’ and Deybi Flores getting another good look one minute after that. Jorge Benguche had an attempt of his own in the 39’, but Mexico held the two-goal lead into halftime.

Mexico really took command in the second half when Orbelin Pineda drove in through the center of the field to make it 3-0 in the 52’, darting into the box to deliver a rocket into the bottom right corner.

Chavez extended the lead by four in the 64’ by collecting a deflected ball and hitting it with his left past the goalkeeper Luis Lopez. For Chavez, it was a second international goal and first from the run of play.

Honduras tried to pull a goal back late on from Alberth Elis and Alexy Vega, but Mexico GK Guillermo Ochoa intervened on both to maintain the clean sheet victory.

Key fact: Luis Romo scored the third-fastest goal in the history of the Gold Cup and, at the same time, became the third player to debut for Mexico by scoring a brace. The other two players were Benjamín Galindo in 1991 and Ricardo Pelaez in 1996.

Mexico will return to action on Thursday, June 29th, in a clash of winners as they face Haiti, while the two losers from the first match in Group B, Qatar and Honduras, will square off at State Farm Stadium.