UNCAF Champions!

Campiones

So while the Panamanian national side won’t be travelling to South Africa in a year and a half, they can console themselves with a UNCAF Nations Cup title and an appearance in this summers Gold Cup, a tournament where they performed very well in the 2007 edition.

Despite having to come up against three sides who are already into the final round of CONCACAF qualifying (Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rica), Panama was able to squeeze the title after a dramatic penalty shoot out with the Ticos. The Costa Ricans had pounded us 3-0 in the group stages, so complacency may have been a factor, but Gary Stempel’s men could have hardly cared less as they went back to Panama City with the trophy.

The semifinals saw La Marea Roja dispatch hosts Honduras, while the second semi saw one of the most bizarre finishes you will ever see in a football match. After two Salvadoran players had been red carded in the first half, three more went down injured. With no substitutions, the match was awarded to Costa Rica. Very strange indeed. So I’m guessing that may have distracted them going into the final, so thanks for that El Salvador.

Here are some highlights of a few of Panama’s matches:

Group Stage vs Costa Rica

And the Final vs Costa Rica