Sloan Privat (yellow jersey) scored two goals in French Guiana's CONCACAF Gold Cup playoff, first leg win over visiting Honduras on March 25, 2015, in Remire-Montjoly. (Photo: Jody Amiet)
REMIRE-MONTJOLY, French Guiana – French Guiana quickly erased a one-goal deficit to defeat visiting Honduras 3-1 in the opener of their CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifying playoff on Wednesday at the Stade Municipal Dr. Edmard Lama.
Sloan Privat struck twice to give the French Guianese an advantage heading into Sunday’s second leg, which will be played at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula.
Jerry Bengtson staked Honduras to a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute, latching onto a superb through ball from Mario Martinez, rounding goalkeeper Donovan Leon and rolling the ball into an open net from 13-yards out.
French Guiana, which advanced to the playoff by virtue of a fifth-place finish in the 2014 Caribbean Cup, replied swiftly and went ahead 2-1 before the half-hour mark.
Team captain Marvin Torvic equalized with a 26th minute header after Roy Contout’s left-sided corner kick was backheaded by Bryan Saint-Clair towards the far post.
A minute later, Privat finished a neat combination with Saint-Clair, slotting home unmarked from four yards.
Privat completed his brace in the 62nd minute. Second-half substitute Rhudy Evens delivered a picture-perfect diagonal cross from the left and the Caen striker nodded in from close range.
Honduras has qualified for six straight Gold Cups, while French Guiana is looking to make its debut.
