The Panama team put at risk the fourth place that gives the right to the playoff by equaling 1-1 with the bottom team Honduras this Thursday on the twelfth day of the octagonal final of Concacaf for the Qatar World Cup 2022.
The Panamanians came to this game, described by their coach, the Spanish-Danish Thomas Christiansen, as their “first final”, with 17 points and in fourth place in the qualifiers, below Canada, the United States and Mexico.
The fourth box gives the option to play the playoff against a team from Oceania. But Costa Rica beat Canada and has displaced the canaleros from that place with two days left to conclude the Concacaf qualifiers.
Honduras began to surprise the locals from the 13th minute, when Bryan Acosta had the first danger, in a free kick that crashed into the crossbar of the Panamanian goal, guarded by Luis Mejía.
The Panamanians went on the attack, down the flanks and with speed, and in the 23rd minute a deep pass from Fidel Escobar found Rolando Blackburn, who controlled the ball and beat goalkeeper Luis López to make it 1-0.
Fidel Escobar (Panama) disputes the ball with Kevin López, from Honduras
At the start of the second half, in the 47th minute, Rommel Quioto had the tie in his boots, but his shot went over the Panamanian goal.
Honduras had their best moment in the match and Panama looked bewildered. And so equality came in the 65th minute through a header from Kevin López. One minute after the catrachos’ goal, Panama reacted and a cross from Rodríguez connected with Blackburn, but his shot hit the post.
The Honduran team played the last minutes with the despair of their rival, who was never in the complementary stage. Honduras, without options, accumulated its fourth point and is the last among eight teams.
On the thirteenth day, which will be played on Sunday, Panama will visit the United States and Honduras will receive Mexico.
DATA SHEET
1 – Panama: Luis Mejia; Michael Amir Murillo, Fidel Escobar, Andrés Andrade, Jorge Guitiérrez (m.82, Cristian Martínez); Aníbal Godoy, Adalberto Carrasquilla (m.68, Cecilio Waterman), Edgar Joel Bárcenas (m.62, César Yanis), José Luis Rodríguez (m.81, Freddy Góndola), Alberto Quintero (m.61, Ismael Díaz); Roland Blackburn
Coach: Thomas Christiansen
1 – Honduras: Luis Lopez; Marcelo Santos, Marcelo Pereira, Denil Maldonado, Wesley Decas; Cristian Sacaza, Juan Delgado (m.46, Edwin Rodríguez), Kevin Arriaga, Bryan Acosta, Kevin López (m.95, Junior Lacayo); Rommel Quioto (m.78, Angel Tejeda)
Coach: Hernan Dario Gomez
Referee: The American Ismael Elfath admonished Arriaga, Decas, Sacaza, Maldonado and Waterman
Goals: 1-0, Rolando Blackburn (m. 23); 1-1, Kevin Lopez (d. 65)
Incidents: Match of day twelve of the octagonal final of the Concacaf qualifiers towards the Qatar World Cup, played at the Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez Stadium
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