Pavon, Guevara lead Honduras past Chile
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)—Carlos Pavon and Amado Guevara each scored late in the second half to lead Honduras to a 2-0 victory over Chile in an international friendly Sunday night.
Pavon, who entered midway through the second half, headed a shot past Chile goalkeeper Miguel Pinto in the 77th minute to give Honduras a 1-0 lead. Honduras scored again 8 minutes later on Amado Guevara’s penalty kick conversion.
The match between two teams in preparation for the next phase of World Cup qualifiers drew a capacity crowd at Lockhart Stadium.
Chile played at a man disadvantage for the final 55 minutes after referee Shane Mooney ejected reserve Jose Fuenzalida for a hard tackle foul on Emil Martinez in the 34th minute.
Fuenzalida, who replaced starter Luis Figueroa, played only 3 minutes before his ejection.
The player advantage resulted in two scoring opportunities for Martinez late in the first half: a shot from just inside the large area stopped by Pinto in the 38th minute, and another shot stopped by Pinto in the 40th minute.
Three minutes later, Chile’s Fabian Orellana found an opening and dribbled past two defenders deep into the Honduran goal area. His shot was deflected by goalkeeper Noel Valladares toward an open David Gazale, whose header sailed above the crossbar.
Honduras, which has reached the final phase of CONCACAF qualifiers, will play at Costa Rica on Feb. 11. Chile, currently tied for third with Argentina in the South American zone, will play its next qualifier against Peru on March 28.