Panama fell in its last test before debuting against Uruguay in the continental competition
PANAMA CITY — The selection of Paraguay beat this Sunday Panama in a friendly match with moments of tension, a duel seen by both teams as the last test before the expected start of the America Cup in the United States on June 20.
After a rainy day in the Panamanian capital, it cleared for the game at the Rommel Fernandez stadiumwhere Paraguay He entered dominating and little by little Panama He was finding his place, getting closer to the South American area, although never enough to get ahead on the scoreboard.
He got it Paraguaywhich in one of its specialties, with a set piece from a corner kick, Gustavo Velazquez He scored in the 24th minute with a strong header, finding hardly any opposition.
The Panamanian team, led by Spanish-Danish coach Thomas Christiansen, moved slower than the Paraguay from coach Daniel Garnero.
Panama He showed glimpses in the 37th minute, with a cross inside the area that goalkeeper Coronel caught, or in the 40th minute, when the Panamanians intercepted a bad pass from the goalkeeper, but it didn’t end in a goal either.
After the first half, Panama the lack of his star was noticeable Adalberto Carrasquillawho could not participate due to the midfielder’s commitments with his team Houston Dynamo in the MLS.
Despite playing in a stadium with very little attendance, Panama He was encouraged in the second half, having his best opportunity in the 51st minute, with a header from Fajardo alone in front of the goalkeeper, who went wide when a goal was called.
In the 56th minute, in a counterattack after an opportunity to Panamathe South Americans were able to extend the lead with a shot in front of the goalkeeper, who narrowly missed.
Panama had more opportunities at the end of the game, feeling superior to Paraguaybut it was not enough to even the score.
The Central American team also had the bad news of its captain Anibal Godoy leaving the field, apparently injured, in addition to Harvey’s retirement with discomfort.
Panama He found himself with a much more demanding opponent than the previous matches he had played in recent weeks with Guyana and Montserrat in the Concacaf qualifiers for the World Cup to be organized in 2026 by the USA, Mexico and Canada, which he won 2-0 and 1 -3 respectively.
The Paraguayan team had just played two friendly matches: against Chile they lost 3-0 as a visitor and tied 0-0 with Peru.
After these results, Garnero had assured that neither Chile nor Peru “are better” than the Paraguayan team, although he acknowledged that they are having a hard time being effective and scoring goals.
