Panama

Panama City, Nov 19 (PL) The Panama national team secured its place in the Final Four of the CONCACAF Nations League after tying Costa Rica 2-2, but with a 3-2 aggregate score.

The team coached by the Spanish-Danish Thomas Christiansen arrived at the Rommel Fernandez Stadium, in the capital, with the advantage of beating the Costa Ricans 1-0 in the first leg match held on November 14, at the National Stadium of San Jose.

The match, part of the qualifiers for the Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association (Concacaf) major tournament, started with Panama's effective dominance in the first half.

The Canaleros took the lead in the 13th minute with a goal by Cesar Blackman, putting his team in control.

However, Costa Rica's response was not long in coming, when Bryan Flores surprised with a long distance goal in the 24th minute, tying the score and generating tension.

The first half ended with a moment of inspiration for Panama. In the 45th minute, a left-footed goal gave the home side the lead back, and they went into the break with a favorable 2-1 lead.

The second half brought even more drama. Costa Rica went on the attack and, although the VAR disallowed a goal in the 69th minute, they managed to equalize in the 73rd minute thanks to Alonso Martínez.

For several analysts, the performance of goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera, who saved a key penalty from Warren Madrigal, was also vital to preserve the qualification.

With this result, Panama is among the four best teams in CONCACAF, maintaining the dream of winning the title in the Final Four of the Nations League, whose matches will be played in the United States in March next year. In addition, the team earned a place in the 2025 Gold Cup.

This is the seventh consecutive defeat of the Costa Ricans against Panama and the ninth in the last 11 games, a streak that contrasts with the dominance that the neighboring rivals had previously had against the Isthmians in the history of bilateral matches.