Honduran Media React to ‘Beautiful’ Luis Palma Display vs Mexico

Luis Palma more than caught the eye as Honduras beat Mexico 2-0 in the first leg of their CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final overnight, the Celtic winger netting a brace in the marquee triumph.

Despite playing less than 90 minutes of club Football since the last international break, Palma received a call-up for his nation’s last-eight tie against the Mexicans this month and didn’t disappoint with his performance in the first leg.

Introduced as a sub with half an hour to go, the 24-year-old opened the scoring with his first touch of the ball, smartly finishing from close range.

Palma then gave his country some breathing space in the last 10 minutes. Leading a counterattack, he went alone and arrowed the ball into the bottom right corner.

The Celtic winger was the toast of Honduras overnight, and naturally, the country’s media hailed him after the 2-0 triumph.

Diez perfectly summed up Palma’s eventful cameo: “A minute after being on the field, he broke the Game and scored the first of the night at the Morazán stadium, which made the Catrachos explode with joy,” they penned.

“But the most beautiful thing came in the 83rd minute when the Honduran bug took the scoreboard and lit up the ‘sampedrano colossus’ again with a great goal.”

El Heraldo described the winger as a ‘hunter’. They wrote: “Palma was attentive like a hunter to cross the shot and open the can at the Morazán stadium with the 1-0 to unleash the madness of the Game.

“The second goal by the ‘Bicho’ came in the 83rd minute, when he took a shot from outside the area impossible for ‘Memo’ Ochoa to cover.”

Palma sent a clear message to Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers with his performance against Mexico.

He ‘made his entrance’ and gave ‘joy to the fans’ after coming off the bench for his country last night, according to La Prensa.

Before he returns to Celtic for next Saturday’s trip to Tynecastle, Palma and his international teaMMAtes will put their full attention on the return leg away to Mexico in the early hours of Wednesday morning, where they will look to hold on to their 2-0 lead.