GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands – Darixon Vuelto scored two goals and Honduras defeated Guatemala 2-1 to capture the inaugural CONCACAF Under-15 Championship title on Sunday before a crowd of 3,000 at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex.
The win meant that Honduras completed the tournament with a perfect 6-0-0 record, scoring 22 goals and conceding only two.
“We are very happy,” said Honduras head coach Carlos Tabora immediately after the match. “We just won the championship and we are happy for that.
“We want to thank CONCACAF for organizing the tournament.”
The Hondurans went ahead in the sixth minute when Vuelto converted a penalty kick after Guatemala was whistled for a handball infraction in its own box.
Though the Catrachos had an early lead and much of the possession, Guatemala started to play more cohesively and equalized 19 minutes later. Following a Guatemalan free kick 20-yards from the goal, referee Marie-Soleil Beuadoin ruled that the Honduran wall encroached inside the 10-yard zone and ordered that the kick be retaken. The second attempt bounced low off the wall and Mario Humberto Rodas placed the loose ball inside the left post to make it 1-1.
Oslin Sevilla almost restored Honduras’ lead five minutes before the break, but his attempt hit off the post and was gathered in by Guatemalan goalkeeper Rodrigo Reznik.
In the 52nd minute, Honduras sealed the championship. Guatemala could not clear a corner kick and Vuelto, who was named the game’s Man of the Match and the competition’s most outstanding player) managed to jab the ball into the back of the net from close range.
2013 CONCACAF UNDER-15 CHAPIONSHIP
Tournament Honors
Golden Ball (tournament’s most outstanding player)
Darixon Vuelto, Honduras
Golden Boot (tournament’s top goalscorer)
Leighton Thomas Jr., Cayman Islands (11 goals)
Golden Glove (tournament’s most outstanding goalkeeper)
Wilmer Martinez, Honduras
Fair Play
Bermuda
