Honduras beats Panama in shootout to reach Gold Cup semis

Honduras struggled to create scoring chances for much of the match but found an equalizer late in the second half. In the 82nd minute, Anthony Lozano deflected a shot from Carlos Pineda into the corner of the net following a corner kick, leveling the match at 1-1.

Glendale: Carlos Pineda scored the decisive penalty as Honduras defeated Panama in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals on Saturday night. With the win, Honduras advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2013 and will face the winner of the Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico match on Wednesday in Santa Clara, California.

Panama, which has been a strong contender throughout the tournament, dominated possession in the first half and broke through in the 44th minute when Cristian Martínez was fouled by Honduras’ Edwin Rodríguez just inside the penalty area. Ismael Díaz calmly converted the penalty, scoring his Gold Cup-leading sixth goal by slotting the ball into the bottom left corner. With this goal, Díaz surpassed Gabriel Torres to become the Panamanian player with the most goals in a single Gold Cup. Panama, a three-time Gold Cup runner-up, has now fallen short again after previous final losses to the U.S. (2005, 2013) and Mexico (2023).

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Honduras struggled to create scoring chances for much of the match but found an equalizer late in the second half. In the 82nd minute, Anthony Lozano deflected a shot from Carlos Pineda into the corner of the net following a corner kick, leveling the match at 1-1.

In the penalty shootout, both teams made four out of five attempts in the initial round. Honduras had a chance to win with its fifth attempt, but Panama’s goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera made a diving stop on Lozano’s shot. Panama’s Eduardo Guerrero then sailed his penalty over the net, giving Honduras another opportunity. Pineda made no mistake the second time, burying his shot into the bottom left corner to secure the 5-4 shootout win for Honduras.

Panama had advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinals after winning Group C, beating Guatemala, Jamaica, and Guadeloupe, and scoring 10 goals in the group stage — including eight in the first half of those games. Honduras, on the other hand, reached the quarters as the runner-up in Group B, recovering from a 6-0 loss to Canada with wins over Curaçao and El Salvador.

This match marked the first knockout round meeting between Honduras and Panama in Gold Cup history. Honduras, the runner-up in the inaugural Gold Cup in 1991 when they lost to the U.S., will look to continue its historic run in the semifinals.