Suriname left Tegucigalpa with a 3-2 Concacaf Nations League victory over Honduras, turning the opening night of José Francisco Molina’s tenure into a difficult home debut at the Estadio Nacional José de la Paz Herrera.
The Caribbean side played with greater control for long stretches in the Honduran capital, enjoying more of the ball and repeatedly finding space to attack a home defence that struggled with its distribution. Mexico’s Fernando Hernández refereed the group-stage encounter.
Justin Lonwijk gave Suriname the early advantage in the 17th minute, a reward for a confident opening in which the visitors took responsibility for the rhythm of the game.
Honduras briefly finds a route back
Honduras responded after the interval through Dereck Moncada, who scored in the 51st minute. Two minutes later, Moncada supplied the pass that appeared to put Molina’s team in front: releasing Bryan Róchez from midfield, he watched the forward force his way between two defenders before lifting his finish over Suriname goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen.
Moncada was later forced off through injury, having made the decisive contribution to Honduras’ short-lived revival.
Suriname, however, continued to threaten on the break. Denzel Jubitana was credited with the equaliser in the 38th minute of the match account, and he delivered the decisive moment in the 66th minute.
Jubitana settles the night
Jubitana’s second strike took a deflection from the back of Honduras winger Luis Palma, changing the ball’s path and leaving goalkeeper Edrick Menjívar unable to keep it out. It restored Suriname’s lead at 3-2 and ultimately secured an unexpected away win.
Although Honduras showed more purpose in midfield and attack during the second half, their quicker play produced too few clear attempts on Vaessen’s goal. Suriname instead relied on anticipation to win possession and break whenever the home back line opened up.
As misplaced passes continued to unsettle Honduras late on, sections of the Tegucigalpa crowd began offering encouragement to the visiting side. For Suriname, it was a notable result on the road; for Molina, the first match in charge ended with an immediate reminder of the work awaiting his new team.
