BRADENTON, Florida – Despite playing a man down for more than a half of play, Honduras hung on for a 1-1 draw with Costa Rica to open Group G of the Qualification Stage of the 2018 Concacaf Under-20 Championship.
Honduras could not have asked for a better start, as a corner kick was expertly volleyed in by Josue Villafranca in the 20’ to make it 1-0 to the Catrachos.
But things would soon turn very complicated for Honduras, as it was reduced to 10 men when Mariano Alvarez was issued a straight red card in the 37’ for a late push.
The man advantage proved to be the lift the Ticos needed and just two minutes into the second half, Andres Gomez brought Costa Rica level 1-1 by finishing off a one-two combination.
Both teams were keen to snatch a late game-winning goal and Honduras FW Selvin Guevara nearly did just that in second half stoppage time after some slick passing from the Catrachos, but the shot sailed wide.
