Mexico beats Honduras in extra time for CONCACAF U-23 crown
Miguel Ponce gave Mexico its second CONCACAF under-23 title in eight years, scoring with four minutes remaining in extra time to lift El Tri to a 2-1 win over a nine-man Honduras on Monday in the final of the confederation’s Olympic qualifying tournament.
The victory completed Mexico’s perfect run through the tournament with a fifth win in as many games and having outscored its opponents 16-3.
“The character of the team is one of the best things that we have. We have a lot of unity and determination to win,” Tena said. “I am proud of the guys for that. We weren’t just satisfied with just getting in the Olympics. We wanted to win the game. We wanted to take the title. We knew that the goal was going to come at some point. We were determined.”
The result denied Honduras, reduced to 10 men when Luis Garrido was ejected in the third minute of injury time and then to nine when Wilmer Crisanto was expelled in the 119th minute, a third CONCACAF U-23 title since 2000.
