A brace from Luis Palma lifted Honduras to a 2-0 Concacaf Nations League victory over Mexico on Friday in the first leg of a quarter-final series.

Mexican national coach Javier Aguirre was injured by a bottle thrown from the stands after the final whistle. The coach was seen bleeding as he made his way to the locker room.

Held at the Honduras Estadio Francisco Morazan in San Pedro Sula, the home side suffered their first early setback after midfielder Alexander López suffered an injury that forced a substitution in the 10th minute. Despite the tactical change, Honduras found a way to keep pace with Mexico in the rainy match.

In addition to often prompting the visitors to dive into tackles that led to fouls in dangerous areas, “La H” held Mexico to just one shot on target in the first half. Although Reinaldo Rueda’s men had two shots of their own on target in response, the result remained level in the quarter-final, which was tied at 0-0 at half-time.

Whether it was due to adapting to the stormy conditions or seeking a riskier approach, both teams were proactive in the second half.

El Tri was the first to take the lead after the break. With more attacking pressure, Mexico almost found the back of the net after winger Julián Quiñones launched a long-range shot that skimmed the woodwork in the 57th minute. Honduras was keen to make its own mark and was later revived with the addition of Yustin Arboleda and Palma from the bench.

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Moments after he had been substituted, Palma’s decisive moment followed. After pouncing on a rebounded shot from Edwin Rodriguez, Palma smashed the ball past Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa in the 64th minute to make it 1–0. With the momentum in his team’s favor, the Celtic forward was far from done.

In the 83rd minute, Palma confidently dribbled down the left flank, cut inside and then shot past Ochoa again, making it 2-0. Desperate to make an impact, Aguirre brought on two strikers as substitutes but failed to change the result recorded at the final whistle.

After tonight’s meeting in Honduras, both sides will travel to Toluca for the second leg of the Nations League quarter-final, which will take place in Mexico on November 19.

The aggregate score from the two matches will determine a place in next spring’s semi-finals and also in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup tournament.

The losers of the quarter-finals get a second chance to qualify for the Gold Cup through a preliminary round. Away goals will be settled as the first tiebreaker in the upcoming second leg, and if there is still equality, two halves of extra time will follow. If necessary, penalties will determine the winners of the quarter-finals.

Neither country has yet won a Nations League title. While Honduras’ best position in the competition in 2021 was third place, Mexico fell just short of a trophy as finalists in 2021 and 2024.