In the second of match of the opening day of play in the Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil, Honduras took on Algeria with a vital three points on the line. In a group with soccer powerhouses Argentina and Portugal, both teams came into the match desperate to get on top of Group D in the early stages. In its third straight Olympic birth, Honduras managed to outclass Algeria to a 3-2 win.
Quioto puts Honduras ahead early
The surprise team from CONCACAF Honduras made no mistakes in the early minutes of its first match at the Olympic games.
After closing down an Algerian attack, Honduras won possession in its own half and went on the counter attack. Alberth Elis, following his close control on the right flank, picked out Anthony Lozano down the line. Lozano, starting his run from the center of the field, timed his diagonal run towards the line well and remained onside.
Running into the penalty area, Lozano cut back towards the center of the box past his defender, and the attacker placed his finesse shot with his left foot towards the back post. The shot was initially blocked by Abdelraouf Benguit, but Romell Quioto tapped the ball into the back of the net from close range to put the Hondurans ahead by a score of 1-0.
Honduras doubles its lead
After just over a half an hour of play, Honduras managed to add a second goal.
Following an Algerian clearance off a Honduran corner, Kevin Alvarez lofted a hopeful ball into the penalty area from about 35 yards away from goal. The ball floated in the sea of bodies crowded into the box and found the head of Marcelo Pereira. The 21-year-old defender looped his header over the goalkeeper's head and onto the crossbar from 18 yards out.
The ball nearly failed to cross the line after bouncing off the Algerian goalkeeper Farid Chaal, but instant replay made it obvious that Pereira's header doubled the lead for Honduras, which sent the Honduran fans into an array of excitement.
Algeria denied by the flag
Five minutes after the restart, Algeria came close to getting itself back into the match. Squandering chances just after halftime, Algeria nearly had a breakthrough goal by way of the substitute Ayoub Abdellaoui.
Sofiane Bendebka managed to outjump his defender to flick on a ball rifled into the box into the path of a streaking Abdellaoui. After his initial tap in was saved by Honduran goalkeeper Luis Lopez, the 23-year-old defender put the rebound into the net. However, the assistant referee on the near side wasted no time in ruling the goal offside and the game remained at 2-0.
Algeria claws its way back into the game
The second half saw the Desert Warriors dominate much of the possession and attacking movements, and the North African side was finally rewarded for its efforts. With just over 20 minutes to play, Bendebka headed in a goal to put Algeria one step closer to leveling the scoreboard.
Algeria's long throw into the box from the left side was headed towards the center of the penalty area by Zakarya Haddouche. Benebkda, who was left virtually unmarked in the center, headed in a strong and powerful header into the front post to bring the score to 2-1.
Honduras capitalizes on Chaal's goalkeeping error
With their backs against the wall, the Hondurans seemed desperate for a second-half breakthrough. Algeria was on the front foot for much of the second half, but Lozano allowed Honduras to take a sigh of relief after scoring his first of the match.
The Algerian goalkeeper Chaal came to collect a simple cross sent into the penalty area, but bobbled and dropped the ball. Lozano, who was extremely bright going forward for much of the match, found the ball drop right into his path just a mere five yards from goal. Lozano tapped the ball in and scored the easiest goal he'll ever score to put the seemingly match out of hand for the Fennecs.
Late scare for Honduras
Although the Hondurans thought the game was done and over with after scoring a third goal, Algeria had other plans. After a great deal of possession in and around the top of the box, the Algerians fed the ball out wide on the right flank to Brayan Garcia. Garcia sent a lofted ball into the box and it fell to Baghdad Bounedjah. Bounedjah brought the ball down off of his chest and placed the ball into the bottom-right corner to make the score 3-2.
However, Honduras was able to hold on, and at the final whistle, the final score remained at 3-2.
What's next?
Honduras will play its next match on August 10 at 12 p.m. ET against Argentina and Algeria will play its next match against Portugal on August 10 at 12 p.m. ET.