Fatality displays its bipolarity: it beats Honduras and ends up blessing Mexico. At least four key casualties among the catrachos to face El Tri in the Quarterfinals of the Gold Cup.
Honduras arrives dismantled at that appointment. The coach Fabián Coito with COVID-19 and the team with a fractured spine: Maynor Figueroa, Diego Rodríguez and Romell Quioto, at risk of losing the battle, but arrives injured, not evicted.
Among the hardships of Mexico, after suffering in the second half against El Salvador and the injury of Hirving Lozano softens their troubles as they see the hospital of their next rivals crowded. The game that would normally seem like a nightmare, with so many low catrachas turns into a dream.
Central Americans paid dearly for their sin of disdain. They belittled the guest and Qatar captured its revenge on the scoreboard: 2-0. Now, the lavish organizers of the 2022 World Cup face El Salvador.
A shot from Homam Amhed for 1-0 in the 25th minute shook the Hondurans and misfortune always comes with an evil entourage. Quioto complains of pain in the thigh and Jerry Bengston enters the relief. The catrachos suffer to pick up the pieces of their sins of pride.
Qatar would have the 2-0, but Akram Afif puts his own dose of petulance and in an absolute display of feline blood, Buba Fernández saves the shot and, in addition, counterattack.
In a bath of faith, Honduras rebels, but the harpies remain crouched: Figueroa succumbs, asks for his change and is almost ruled out. Marcelo Pereira enters and does not clash. The catrachos would, in the second half, make enough merits to get the tie that would have reinstated them the leadership of Group D and sent them to the old rivalry with the Salvadorans, but with their good will they only paved the way to hell.
Certainly, the halftime break must have been fraught with reprimands and demands in the Honduran dressing room. The siege was intense. He surrounded Qatar, who felt comfortable, on the other hand, under the exercise of rehearsing counterattacks.
With absolute control of the ball, under the risk of an onslaught with Qatari vertigo, the Central Americans stayed on the edge of a draw and the engine, anger, was not a fear of facing Mexico but the feeling of wounded dignity after the indifference with which they received the Qataris.
With 48 more hours of rest, Mexico will recover the absolute health of its players and will have, starting this Wednesday, the possibility of scrutinizing the tactical cartography of Coito and his team. It is evident that Gerardo Martino will face a Honduras very different from the one he planned.
However, the antecedents remain. Catrachos and Mexicans have starred in epic battles. Their clashes in the Gold Cup and qualifying rounds have voluminous passages of boiling blood.
In addition, the same biotype of the Honduran player is usually the one that is most complicated for El Tri and, surely, Coito will look for the technological gadget, if necessary, to remind his players in the pre-game harangue.
Taste? Your sensations are still pleasant. Coach Félix Sánchez improves, with each game, the vestiges of that Catalan style, baked according to the good workmanship of his players.
Thus, Mexico already knows its adversary in the Quarterfinals. It was not the one I most wanted, but it arrives in the most desirable conditions, with four sensitive absences. The nightmare that Honduras represented today does not take away Gerardo Martino’s sleep so much.
However, and El Tata knows it well, overconfidence in football has that sulfurous stench of suicide.