After defeating the United States for the first time in the World Cup qualifiers, Panama aims to at least grab a point that will keep it in the direct qualification zone on Wednesday, when it visits Canada for the sixth round of the CONCACAF octagonal to Qatar.
And the key, according to the Panamanians, will be to play a “smart” game and follow the idea of the game that their European coach Thomas Christiansen is instilling in them.
The Panamanians celebrated their 1-0 victory over the Americans intensely on Sunday, the same day that marked the fourth anniversary of their first qualification for a World Cup, Russia 2018.
But there was no time to rest on their laurels, since on Monday afternoon they traveled to Toronto with Canada in mind and with the immediate task of watching the videos of the matches of their rival, who along with Mexico is undefeated in the octagonal.
Skillful midfielder Alberto Quintero has an idea of the Canadian national team.
“He has a touch of the ball, he comes out from behind, they come out playing, he has very good players and I think that if we play an intelligent game and what the coach asks of us, I think we can complicate them,” said the player from the Peruvian University club on Tuesday. sports.
Mexico leads the table with 11 points and Panama is third with eight, the same number of units that the United States has, which surpasses it in goal difference. They are followed by Canada (7), Costa Rica (6), El Salvador (5), Honduras (3) and Jamaica (2).
A draw would keep the Panamanians in the top three regardless of the other results.
On their last trip to Canada for a World Cup qualifying match, heading to Brazil 2014, Panama lost 1-0 to the North American team, which has changed a lot since then. The Canadians, with their stars Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) and Jonathan David (Lille), are among the candidates to win one of the three direct tickets. The fourth goes to an intercontinental playoff.
Panama has had a promising start from the hand of Christiansen, although before their resounding victory over the United States they fell 1-0 on the road to El Salvador.
“I believe that if we do not betray our idea, our style, we will continue on the right path: the possession of the ball, the intensity when it comes to recovering it and the high pressure,” said Quintero.
Canada comes from beating El Salvador 3-0 at home and drawing in their visits to Mexico (1-1) and Jamaica (0-0) in their last three games. Their clash against Panama will be followed by two more home games against Costa Rica and Mexico in November.
“If there is a game that we have to win to really set the course, then this is it,” said the Canadian helmsman, Englishman John Herdman. “It is a game that is worth six points for the positions we are in but, more importantly, for my calculation of the final position of Panama. He is one of the main contenders to be in the top three ”.
“They are a very compact team. They have experienced veterans, ”he added about the Panamanians. “It is a team that knows how to respond on the court.”
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