Mexico thrash Honduras, Haiti stun Qatar in Gold Cup
Luis Romo struck twice as Mexico crushed Honduras 4-0, while a stoppage time winner from Frantzdy Pierrot gave Haiti a 2-1 victory over Qatar in the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Sunday.
Jamaica held the United States to a 1-1 draw in the opener on Saturday and then Trinidad and Tobago defeated St Kitts and Nevis 3-0 in the other group A game on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.
Mexico, the record eight-times winner of the tournament for North and Central America and the Caribbean, came into the clash with Honduras in Houston after firing Argentine coach Diego Cocca and appointing Jaime Lozano on an interim basis.
Cocca was dismissed after the Nations League semi-final 3-0 defeat to the United States and 'El Tri' made the perfect start to Lozano's reign. It took just 51 seconds for Mexico to find the target when Romo collected a clearance, took one touch and then, from the edge of the box, drilled the ball into the bottom corner.
Romo made it 2-0 in the 23rd minute when Jesus Gallardo headed a corner towards him and he nodded the ball past Honduras keeper Luis Lopez. Orbelin Pineda, produced a clever one-two, on the edge of the box with Henry Martin, bursting into the area before blasting home.
Luis Chavez completed the rout with a toe-poked finish in the 64th minute as the 66,500, overwhelmingly Mexican, crowd celebrated their team's timely return to form.