Chile secured a first World Cup win in 48 years by edging Honduras 1-0 yesterday through a late first-half goal from striker Jean Beausejour.
The Group H success ended a 13-game winless run spanning four tournaments for the Chilean “Reds” since defeating Yugoslavia on June 16 1962.
The South Americans began brightly as they sought a fourth victory in six clashes with the Hondurans and midfielder Matias Fernandez went close from a third-minute free kick.
The Argentina-born star who plays for Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon, comfortably cleared the Honduran wall with a free kick but the ball landed on the roof of the net after dipping just too late.
Fellow Chilean midfielder Carlos Carmona was cautioned 60 seconds later by Eddy Maillet, the first referee from the Indian Ocean island of Seychelles to handle a World Cup fixture.
Chile were on top territorially and it took Honduras 18 minutes to create an opening close to goal only for 101-cap Carlos Pavon to disappoint with a weak shot that trickled wide.
Midway through the opening half Fernandez became the second Chilean to be cautioned in a lively game which attracted a large, South African public holiday crowd.
The best-known Honduran player, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Wilson Palacios, was next to be shown a yellow card as Maillet ran out of patience following constant offences.
Persistent Chile pressure finally paid off when slick passing outside the penalty area created space for Mauricio Isla on the right flank and his low cross was turned in by Mexico-based Beausejour.
“Red-hot Chile Peppers” read a poster in a crowd comprising locals and plenty of Chileans and Hondurans, and it was appropriate given the superiority of the South Americans who could have been several goals ahead by half-time.
Honduras pushed Edgar Alvarez forward for the second half but the early exchanges followed a similar pattern to the first 45 minutes with Chile exerting far more pressure as they sought the cushion of a two-goal advantage. Chile defender Waldo Ponce came forward for a free-kick midway through the half and should have doubled the lead only for Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares to parry away a diving point-blank header.
Chilean midfielder Jorge Valdivia put the ball in the net with 15 minutes to go but was correctly flagged offside as the killer second goal continued to elude his side.
Also See: World Cup may be ‘negative’ for tech earnings: Goldman
Also See: World Cup Stories
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source