Jun 4, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Ecuador forward Alex Renato Ibarra (5) controls the ball against England forward James Miller (17) during the second half at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Honduras and Ecuador competed in a Group E match at the 2014 World Cup in Curitiba today. The match kicked off properly, with the first foul committed some 4 seconds in. Both of these teams needed a win to maintain contention to advance to the knockout round.
The first half was entertaining, there was a lot of excitement between the two teams and eventually the dam broke, Honduras finally scored a goal ending a 400+ minute drought, leaving the all time record for longest goalless spell in the hands of Bolivia. It was 1-0 to Honduras in the 31st minute, but just 3 minutes later the Ecuadorian team responded! A clean finish from Enner Valencia left the match level, and it would remain that way until halftime, despite some dramatic moments ending the half.
In the dying moments of the first half, a cross into the box by Honduras ended up in the back of the net, however the goal was waived off and a yellow card was show as the ball had caromed in off the hand of Jerry Bengtson. Bengtson and the Hondurans pleaded their case, but the referee was not sympathetic, and the match was level at halftime.
The second half saw more excitement, with both teams continuing to attack and trade chances. Ecuador seemed likely to score, and finally they broke through, with Enner Valencia scoring his second on a header off a set piece play. The match got progressively more physical, with 3 yellow cards being shown after halftime. Honduras began to push for an equalizer late on, but most of their attacks were turned away or sent wide. The Honduras side refused to give up, but despite their best efforts, the Ecuadorian side emerged victorious.
It doesn’t look good for Honduras to advance, in World Cup history 65 teams have lost their opening 2 matches, none of them have advanced.
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