Honduras beats Spain during Olympic soccer showdown
LONDON: Spain crashed out of the Olympic football tournament Saturday after the world and European champions suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Honduras at Newcastle’s St James’ Park.
Jerry Bengtson’s seventh-minute header was all that separated the sides in a stunning victory for the Central Americans that meant Spain could not qualify out of Group D following their opening defeat by Japan.
In a fractious match featuring 12 bookings, Spain’s Iker Muniain hit the post and Rodrigo the bar, before a host of Spanish players converged upon referee Juan Soto Arevalo after the Venezuelan official denied them a penalty late on.
Bengtson scored when he rose high to power in Roger Espinoza’s driven cross past Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea.
Meanwhile, Neymar showed just why the world’s top football clubs want to sign him with a virtuoso display as Brazil came from a goal behind to beat Belarus 3-1 at a packed Old Trafford yesterday.
Belarus took a shock lead in front of a crowd of more than 66,000 at the home ground of English giants Manchester United.
But from then on Brazil battled back in this Group C clash, with Neymar setting the seal on a superb display with a 65th minute free-kick bent over the wall and beyond the reach of diving Belarus keeper Aleksandr Gutor.
Brazil, five-times the world champions, but still seeking a first Olympic gold medal, were 1-0 down when Belarus’s Renan Bardini Bressan opened the scoring with an eighth minute header.
However, Neymar then took centre stage, crossing for AC Milan star Pato to equalise, before he put Brazil in front and also setting up Oscar for the clinching third goal.
Earlier at Old Trafford, Egypt’s last-eight hopes suffered a setback when they were held to a 1-1 draw by New Zealand.
The All Whites took the lead through a 16th minute strike from Chris Wood, who plays his club football for English Premier League West Bromwich Albion.
Mohamed Salah equalised from close range shortly before the break and the Africans could have had several more goals by the final whistle but instead squandered a host of chances.
Now Egypt must beat Belarus tomorrow to get to the quarter-finals while New Zealand will have to cause one of the great upsets by defeating Brazil if they are to go any further in this tournament than the group stage.
Meanwhile 10-man Senegal opened up Group A with a shock 2-0 win over well-regarded Uruguay
Teenager Moussa Konate scored twice, either side of Abdoulaye Ba’s first-half dismissal for a foul on Luis Suarez.
Liverpool striker Suarez, fast becoming the man fans of other England clubs love to hate after he was suspended for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra last season, was the target of fresh jeers at Wembley.
Japan qualified for the quarter-finals with a 1-0 Group D win over Morocco secured by Kensuke Nagai’s goal six minutes from time at Newcastle’s St James’ Park in north-east England.
Asian rivals South Korea also enjoyed victory, with a 2-1 win over Switzerland at the City of Coventry Stadium drawing them level with Group B leaders Mexico.
Arsenal’s Park Chu-Young put South Korea in front only for Switzerland’s Innocent Emeghara to equalise moments later.
But Kim Bo-Kyung, who recently signed for English second-tier side Cardiff, volleyed home a deflected cross to settle the match in thew second half.
Earlier in Coventry, Tottenham Hotspur’s Giovani dos Santos scored both goals in Mexico’s 2-0 Group B win over Gabon.
Giovani broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute after coming on as a second-half substitute and then scored from the penalty spot in injury-time.
This was Mexico’s first win of the tournament and it kept their quarter-final hopes alive.
http://news.co.cr/