In the end, the gap was too great and reality got in the way. It was always likely to. Panama’s manager, Hernán Darío Gómez warned that there would be four possible outcomes in every game when they finally reached the World Cup for the first time in their history: they could win, they could draw, they could lose, and they could be goleado: hammered.
In Sochi, where more than 4,000 fans had travelled 7,000 miles, outnumbering the Belgians by four to one, and where the Russians who filled this arena were on their side too, Panama eventually succumbed. “Yes we can,” they had chanted but no, no, they couldn’t. A wonderful volley from Dries Mertens and two from Romelu Lukaku were the beating they feared.
Mertens plays for Napoli, while Lukaku of course is at Manchester United; the two men that his shot flew past, goalkeeper Jaime Penedo and centre-back Roman Torres, are at Dinamo Bucharest and Seattle Sounders. Other clubs represented by the team ranked 55 in the world, the country with a population of just 3.5million, where baseball is still, just about, the most popular sport, include Dunajska Streda, Gent, and Bucaramanga. While there was disappointment, then, there was no recrimination. As Fidel Escobar ran up to hit a free-kick in the final minutes, a beating of pans greeted him. When he dashed through just after, only to be tumbled a moment later, they roared.
At the end, Belgium clapped their fans in the corner. Panama gathered in a circle and prayed. As they came away, this stadium erupted in more applause. Panama had been goleado but they had competed. Belgium got the victory they sought, and ultimately a comfortable one too, largely easing their way through the second half.
It took a while to find a way through, though. Only 40 seconds had gone when Romelu Lukaka sent the ball over the bar yet if that seemed to suggest this was going to be ended early, it didn’t happen that way. Gómez had described just being here as “historic”, but he had expended much energy reminding everyone that this would not be easy; theat the most likely scenario was defeat. Asked if Iceland’s draw with Argentina gave them hope, he had been swift to highlight the differences. In summary: Belgium are better than Argentina and Iceland are better than Panama.
When Yannick Carrasco shot into Jaime Penedo’s arms after six minutes a pattern was already emerging. A minute later it was Mertens on the other side bringing the 36‑year‑old goalkeeper into action. From the corner Mertens went down appealing for a penalty. And when Román Torres waited for Penedo, and then underhit a backpass two minutes after that, Eden Hazard could only find the side netting.
Panama were hanging on and sometimes hacking clear, nerves showing. Slowly, though, they began to find their feet – and occasionally they burst forward, Armando Cooper and Ánibal Godoy swift and direct in midfield, prepared to go at their opponents in straight lines, while Édgar Barcénas ran too. A sharp dash into the Belgian area was a reminder that they would not simply wait.
Godoy almost got away not long after. After half an hour, Cooper’s neat overhead kick set them up and running again, but Blas Pérez didn’t spot Barcenas racing up the far side and although Panama got the ball back again and Cooper slipped the ball into the area for Rodríguez, he was blocked.
Naturally, the chances appeared mostly at the other end. Mertens hit the side netting; another short corner almost caught Panama out; and Torres had to hook away inside his six-yard box. De Bruyne’s shot went over; Hazard sliced wide then dribbled into the area and was denied at the near post by Penedo before the goalkeeper was out quickly to stop Lukaku. At half-time, Panama’s players went into a huddle before heading for the tunnel. The message: we’re in this.
Soon, they fell behind – although it took something extraordinary. Mertens’s volley from the top-right corner of the area flew past Torres and Penedo into the top-left corner of the net. Kevin De Bruyne’s shot curled just wide but Panama weren’t done just yet. Michael Murillo was played into the area, almost alone, soon after. He waited a little long and Jan Vertonghen was on him, the opportunity gone.
Really gone: De Bruyne bent a wonderful cross with the outside of his foot to Lukaku to dive and head home before Eden Hazard slipped a pass through to the United striker. Running on to it, he clipped neatly over Penedo and into the net. “They have the best players in the world after Messi and Ronaldo,” Panama’s manager had said. In Sochi, his players saw that for themselves.
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