Douglas Martinez spread his wings and flew through the air, connecting the ball to the crown of his head, pounding it into the back of the net to break the scoreless stalemate between Honduras and El Salvador just seconds into the second half of their Concacaf Olympic Qualifier on Monday.
The Real Salt Lake forward earned his second start for Honduras in the Concacaf Olympic Qualifiers and while his goal gave Honduras the lead and momentum, it wasn’t enough to hold off El Salvador in a gritty 1-1 draw.
The match was indicative of one of the greatest historical rivalries in international football that dates back to 1969 when the two countries met in the “Football War.” The conflict largely stemmed from land reform and immigration between the neighboring countries and boiled over on July 14, 1969 during a FIFA World Cup Qualifier, leading to combat and ultimately ending in a cease-fire four days later.
While the Olympic Qualifying match on Monday didn’t have the same political backdrop, it didn’t lack for on-field intensity.
Honduras found the net first when Martinez sacrificed his body to head in the ball in the opening seconds of the second half off a long cross from Elias Rivas. El Salvador leveled the score in the 61st minute when Marvin Marquez capitalized on a rebound off Honduras goalkeeper Mario Gonzalez.
Despite good looks from either side the match finished 1-1 as Honduras moved to 1-0-1 in Group B ahead of the final match against Canada on Thursday at 6 p.m. MT. A win or a draw from Honduras would secure a spot in the tournament semifinals.
