Honduras, Mexico post impressive wins

WESTERN BUREAU:

Honduras moved past Canada into second place behind leaders Mexico in Group B of the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Under-20 Championship at Montego Bay Sports Complex, crushing a spirited-looking Cuba 3-0 in the second game of the triple-header yesterday.

Goals from captain Jhow Benavidez, Alberth Elis in minute 60 - his second of the tournament - and a decent finish from inside the area from forward John Suazo gave the Central American team victory.

Honduras now have four points after two games, while Mexico, which recorded a 2-0 win over Canada, hold the lead on six points. Canada are next on three points.

Midfielder Hirving Lozano scored his third goal of the tournament for the Mexicans in the 30th minute, in a match that head coach Almaguer Trevino had said would have been 'tough'. Diego Pineda Juarez scored the other goal for Mexico in time added.

game not as tough

The game was not as tough as Mexico had expected, as the Canadians were was content on sitting deep in defence, looking to counter when the opportunity presented itself.

The defending champions had 17 shots on the Canada goal - all from within the 18-yard box - while Canada managed a total of six.

Suazo was named Man of the Match in Honduras' win, which now puts them on track for a top-two finish if they can hold their position.

"The Cubans had some dangerous chances, especially in the first half, but we coped well to score the two goals," said Honduras' head coach, Jorge Jimenez.

"They had the better of us in the first half, and we had to change some things for the second half, and it got us the victory. Now we look to our next assignment," he added.