The Panama Under-21 team suffered a 0-1 loss to Colombia on Thursday at the Moca 85 Stadium in Moca, in the inaugural match of Group B of the Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026. The only goal of the match was scored by Kener González, who defined for the Colombian team. The loss leaves the Canaleros with a difficult test this Saturday 1st of August, when they face Costa Rica at 3:00 p.m. local time, at the Cibao Stadium. With the loss to the Colombians, the team led by César Aguilar is forced to score three points in their next two matches to secure their ticket to the next round of the men's football tournament of the JCC 2026. The Panama Under-21 team managed 43% of possession against Colombia's 57%, and generated only two shots on target from 12 attempts (17%), compared to the six shots on target from 13 attempts (46%) achieved by their rival. The Canaleros were also sanctioned with a yellow card, while Colombia ended the match with a man down after accumulating three yellow cards, one expulsion for a double yellow card and a direct red card.