It could have been far worse for Honduras in their 2-0 Group H defeat to Spain. The scoreline somehow stayed respectable, even if that owed as much to the European Champions’ profligacy as it did any defensive action on Los Catrachos’ part. Equally, in spite of the two defeats suffered so far, Honduras are not out of the competition yet. An admittedly unlikely combination of scores in the final round of group games, comprising a Honduras defeat of Switzerland and a triumph for Chile over Spain, could yet conspire to send the Central Americans through to the Round of 16.
Going into Monday’s meeting with the Spanish, Coach Reinaldo Rueda was in something of a quandary. His team had offered very little in the way of an attacking threat in their opening game against Chile, and that would surely have to change, but the Colombian would also have been more than aware of the danger posed by a Spain team themselves in need of a victory. Switzerland had vanquished the Spaniards by defending for their lives, keeping their discipline, and sneaking a goal on the break, and Rueda had stated his admiration for that blueprint. However, the Honduras game plan went out of the window fairly sharply when David Villa’s marvellous solo goal put Spain ahead after just 17 minutes, a blow from which Rueda’s men never even came close to recovering.
The personnel changes made by the Honduras Coach from the Chile game – designed to shake up the side’s attacking play – were curious to say the least. The addition of Marath
