Soccer-Panama and Honduras draw ill-tempered Gold Cup match

July 10 (Reuters) - Panama and Honduras drew 1-1 in a dramatic and ill-tempered CONCACAF Gold Cup match in Massachusetts on Friday. Tempers boiled over several times in the second half as referee Marlon Mejia struggled to keep control of the game, with Panama's players particularly incensed several times, especially when they were not awarded two penalties. Panama defender Luis Henriquez was sent off for a second yellow card, while four others were booked, though it was remarkable more were not given red cards. Two Honduras players were also booked. Both teams needed to earn at least a point in the Group A match and a draw was probably a fair result, though Honduras had two chances in added time when Romell Quioto missed from five yards out before Eddy Hernandez had a goal ruled out for offside. It was the second goal by Hernandez disallowed for offside. The result leaves Panama with two points from two games, while Honduras has one point after losing their opener against the United States. Panama took the lead in the 21st minute when Luis Tejada scored from a well-worked set piece and they had two strong penalty appeals, one either side of half-time, but failed to impress the referee. Honduras had the better of the final 30 minutes and were rewarded in the 78th minute when Andy Najar was tripped inside the box and Mejia pointed at the spot, sparking a full-scale melee between the players. It took officials a full three minutes to restore order. Andy Najar's penalty attempt was then brilliantly pushed onto the crossbar by Panama keeper Jaime Penedo but the ball fortuitously cannoned back to the feet of Najar, who made the easy tap-in before celebrating with an acrobatic backflip. There was further drama in the 84th minute when Panama's Abdiel Arroyo was fouled just outside the box and the referee awarded a free kick, though he arguably could have sent off the Honduran defender. Panama's players again remonstrated with Mejia and Alberto Quintero was lucky to avoid a red card when he made clear contact with the official. Even the final whistle did not signal the end of their complaints as they continued to remonstrate with the referee at the edge of the pitch. (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)