A goal made in MLS handed Honduras the most famous result in its soccer history, a 1-0 victory over gold-medal favorites Spain in a Group D clash on Sunday at St. James' Park in Newcastle.
In the sixth minute, New England Revolution striker Jerry Bengtson headed home a cross from Sporting Kansas City’s Roger Espinoza, after Espinoza worked a clever give-and-go on the left side with D.C. United’s Andy Najar.
Bengtson is now joint leader in the Golden Boot table with three goals in two games. He is tied with Senegal's Moussa Konate, who plays his club soccer for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
After the goal, the Hondurans were heroic in their defending, led by a searing performance from goalkeeper José Mendoza as Spain pounded his net. The game turned ugly as the two sides combined for 28 fouls and 13 yellow cards, including one to Espinoza, who will now miss Honduras’ final group match through card accumulation.
The result is Spain’s second straight loss and knocks the gold-medal favorites out of the Olympic tournament. It also hands Honduras a golden opportunity to advance to the quarterfinals.
Los Catrachos are now alone in second place in the group ahead of Wednesday’s match against group leaders Japan, who beat Morocco earlier on Sunday. A win or a draw will see Honduras through.
