FIFA World Cup 2018 - Intercontinental Play-off: Honduras overview
Kuala Lumpur: Honduras reached the Intercontinental Play-off after eliminating the United States with a dramatic win over regional heavyweights Mexico and will be a tough obstacle for the Socceroos in the final hurdle for Russia 2018.
One of the strongest teams in the CONCACAF region, three-time FIFA World Cup qualifiers Honduras are looking to make their third consecutive appearance on football’s grandest stage.
A brief introduction
Los Catrachos have a proud history in the beautiful game with the national team making its debut back in 1921 at the Independence Centenary Games.
The national association was founded 14 years later and FIFA membership came in 1946 before Honduras co-founded CONCACAF in 1961.
Regional power, Spanish adventure
One of the country's finest footballing moments came at the 1981 CONCACAF Championship (the predecessor to the Gold Cup), hosted in the Honduran capital city of Tegucigalpa.
Honduras would famously top the standings to not only lift their first, and to date only, continental title but also qualify for their maiden FIFA World Cup, the 1982 edition in Spain.
Honduras performed admirably in their debut FIFA World Cup, drawing against hosts Spain and Northern Ireland, but a 1-0 defeat to Yugoslavia saw them exit at the group stage.
Taking South America by storm
Two runners-up finishes at the CONCACAF Championship (1985 and 1991) were the next peaks for La H but it was the 2001 Copa America when the country really shone.
Added as a late replacement to the South American tournament, Honduras shocked the continent by finishing in third place, eliminating Brazil in the quarter-finals along the way.
In recent times, though, it’s unquestionably appearances in the last two FIFA World Cups that have been the Honduras team’s most celebrated achievements.
A return to the biggest stage
Their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification could not have been more dramatic as Honduras booked their ticket to a second appearance on the biggest stage at the death.
Jonathan Bornstein’s equaliser for the United States five minutes into stoppage time in a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica saw Honduras, 1-0 winners over El Salvador, edge through automatically at the expense of Los Ticos by virtue of goal difference.
Back-to-back World Cups
A tough draw in South Africa, though, saw Honduras exit at the group stage once more, this time with just a point from a draw against Switzerland following defeats to Spain and Chile.
Progress to the following FIFA World Cup in Brazil was much smoother with Honduras securing their place with a match to spare, before elimination from another difficult group including France, Switzerland and Ecuador.
Scraping through
For Russia 2018, Honduras were fortunate to even reach the final round of CONCACAF qualifying after successive defeats in their opening two fourth round ties against Canada and Mexico.
After a draw in El Salvador, Honduras belatedly got back on track with a win in the return meeting before a vital home victory against the Canadians.
A draw in Mexico City in the final Group A tie proved enough to edge them into the fifth round in second place, a point ahead of Canada.
A first Intercontinental Play-off
In the final round of CONCACAF qualifiers, known as the Hexagonal or Hex, Honduras endured a torrid start, picking up just four points at the midway stage.
But a run of five games without a loss, that culminated in a famous 3-2 win over Mexico, proved to be enough to push them into the Intercontinental Play-off spot and a date with Australia, as the United States lost to Trinidad and Tobago and were eliminated in stunning fashion.
Photos: Getty Images, CONCACAF.com, AFP
Source: the-afc.com
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