Close, but no cigar for footballers in Honduras
James Adderley, Reporting
The Francisco Morazan Stadium inside San Pedro Sula, Honduras, provided a field of dreams for Belizean football as Revolutionary Conquerors of Dangriga opened the 2007 UNCAF Champions Tournament against the Honduran powerhouse Real España last night. And indeed it couldn’t have been a better start for the Belizean sub-champion when the Real España goalkeeper commits this error by being much too casual. Dennis Serano pounces on his mistake to give Belize a 1-zip lead five minutes into this Central American confrontation.
Stunned, the home team goes to the set piece for an immediate response, which leaves them wanting. Still, the pressure increases on the Belizean defence who certainly buy a pass here when this ball raises over the crossbar. Again the set piece provides offensive opportunity for Real España and again the Conquerors defence hangs tough. That pressure pays off for the home team when Melvin Valladares beats the defence to the pill to tie the ballgame at 1-apiece twenty-one minutes in.
Give Woodrow West kudos in goal for Belize when he digs this one out from close range. At the half we’ve weathered the storm to keep the ballgame tied at 1-1 with the Revolutionary Conquerors scoring their only shot on goal.
In second, half Real España remains the protagonist while Woodrow West continues to shine like a star. And sometimes people, lady luck does smile with you when you’re under this kind of offensive pressure. Twenty-five minutes into second half Woodrow West continues to stand tall. Forty minutes in, the mighty West is still passing the test and as they say in the business, Real España is camped in front of his goal. Forty-four minutes in and West still remains focused as Revolutionary Conquerors seems destined for a 1-1 tie against the Honduran First Division Champion.
The fourth official in this match determines that extra time will be all of five minutes people and that did it. It might just have been inevitable that Real España would get this big W tonight. Here, this ball crashes into the net behind West. Real España wins in extra time 2-1. Nevertheless, for Belizean football the dream continues. Game two comes to Belize Tuesday, August fourteenth inside the Carl Ramos Stadium at Dangriga.
Hey, it’s only a 2-1 deficit; that could turn around in a hurry. Now, here’s a reminder that F.C. Belize plays host to Puntarenas of Costa Rica at the M.C.C. Grounds Thursday, sixteenth August. This is after losing game one at Costa Rica 3-nothing. I’m James Adderley, reporting for News Five.
