Coaches:
Panama: Hernán DarĂo GĂłmez (COL)
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz (POR)
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Iran defeated a Panama with many new faces in preparation for the 2018 World Cup.
After a disappointing start in a cold environment, Panama regained its pulse with the passing of time. The best player for the red side was winger Armando Cooper, who was part of almost all the dangerous plays for the Central Americans.
Panama played with an unprecedented team, with Gabriel Torres being the only striker, and with young prospect Ricardo Avila going from the start.
Hernan Dario Gomez was unable to have eight of his habitual players between injuries and club commitments.
Panama acquiesced the initiative to the Persian side in the beginning, betting on quick combinations in the attack that never panned out.
The freezing environment of the stadium, to which only a few hundred -mostly Iranian- went, didn’t help the Central Americans either.
The Iranians showed better judgment and more patience in the construction of play from the start. Only 13 minutes in, Jan Carlos Vargas toppled forward Karim Ansarifard, and Ashkan Dejagah beat the Panamanian keeper to open the score.
Just a few minutes later, in the 18th, Iran scored the second one from another combination play that Saman Ghoddos finished.
Panama awakened as a result of the second goal, and began to threaten the Iranian goal with verticality and numbers. Torres didn’t miss and shortened the gap.
Despite the loss to a rival like Iran, undefeated in World Cup qualifying, Panama saved face despite the absences, leaving some flashes of quality. |