Panama City, Nov 17 (EFE).- The Panama soccer team, led by the Hispanic Danish Thomas Christiansen, will go out this Monday to face Costa Rica with the goal of sealing the direct ticket to the 2025 Gold Cup and its fourth in a row to the Final Four of the Concacaf Nations League 2024-2025.
The Panamanian squad returns after the visit to San José with a 0-1 victory in the first leg of the quarterfinals, a result that gives the canaleros the advantage of the away goal since with a tie in their field would be enough for them to complete the task.
After last Thursday’s victory, the Panamanians have a streak of six consecutive wins against their counterpart from Costa Rica, and if they manage to win this Monday it would be the seventh time without knowing defeat since 2022.
Christiansen has no casualties for this clash, which he himself has described as “crucial” due to what is at stake, although turning the page on what was achieved in San José, despite the fact that it was the fifth victory on Costa Rican soil for the Central American red.
“We have a very tough 90 minutes, Costa Rica with what they showed (on Thursday) has threatened us a lot in our game, they have generated too much for my taste,” said the Panama coach after the victory in the first leg.
The Costa Ricans, for their part, arrive on Panamanian soil to seek a comeback, when only winning serves to derail Panama from its objective.
The Tico team, coached by Claudio Vivas, will only have the loss of central defender Juan Pablo Vargas, meaning that the strategist will have to rebuild his defense to make up for this absence.
“Juan Pablo Vargas underwent medical evaluations this Friday, and as confirmed by the medical team, he has a slight tear of the left adductor, which is why he is left out of the group that will travel to Panama,” explained the Costa Rican Football Federation.
Vargas, defender of the Colombian Millonarios and a regular starter in the Costa Rican team, is a significant casualty for Monday’s match in Panama, which Costa Rica is forced to win after losing at home 0-1 in the first leg played on Thursday .
At the moment this is the only casualty in the Costa Rican team, since right back Yostin Salinas is recovered from a blow he received on his nose in Thursday’s game.
Costa Rica trained on Friday and Saturday at the sports facilities of the Costa Rican Football Federation before traveling to Panama this Sunday.
The captain of the Costa Rican team, Francisco Calvo, after the first leg said that it is “a series that is open” and that everything “is defined by the match on Monday (tomorrow). We have to go there to get a good result.”
The winner of this series will qualify for the semifinals (Final Four) of the Concacaf Nations League and will also obtain a ticket to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
The loser will have to fight for a place in the Gold Cup in another phase in which 14 Concacaf teams will participate.
November 2023 was the last time that Costa Rica played at the Rommel Fernández stadium, in the Panamanian capital, losing 3-1 precisely in the quarterfinals of the last Nations League.
The Ticos have not won in Panama since 2015.
Probable lineups
Panama: Orlando Mosquera; Michael Amir Murillo, Edgardo Fariña, José Córdoba, Fidel Escobar; Anibal Godoy, Adalberto Carrasquilla, César Blackman, Edgar Barcenas, José Luis Rodríguez; Jose Fajardo.
Coach: the Spanish-Danish Thomas Chrtistiansen.
Costa Rica: Patrick Sequeira; Jeyland Mitchell, Julio Cascante, Alexis Gamboa, Francisco Calvo; Jefferson Brenes, Brandon Aguilera, Kenneth Vargas, Warren Madrigal; Manfred Ugalde and Alonso Martínez.
Coach: Argentine Claudio Vivas.
Referee: To be defined
Time: 21:00 local time (02:00 GMT)
Stadium: Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez, located east of the Panamanian capital and with capacity for 32,000 spectators. EFE
