Panama draws with India in friendly to start new chapter

Panama's national team began a new era with a 1-1 draw against India in a friendly match on Thursday. The game, the first under head coach Thomas Christiansen, was used to test new faces and seek a reaction after a tough start to World Cup qualifying.

Óscar Valencia scored Panama's goal in the 68th minute, assisted by Eric Anderson, to cancel out Rahul Williams's first-half opener for India. Christiansen used the occasion to rotate the squad and observe several players who have not had much recent playing time. "It was a useful game to evaluate options and see the group's reaction," the Danish-Panamanian coach said after the final whistle.

They sit fourth in their group, seven points behind leaders England. Their goal difference in that phase is minus four, having conceded four without scoring.

This friendly against India, an opponent they had never faced before, marks the start of a series of preparations. The next commitment is another preparatory match, this time against New Zealand at home on October 1st. The coaching staff hopes to continue fine-tuning details for the upcoming official challenges.

Panama's recent results show a run of five matches without a win, with two draws and three losses. The draw against India follows previous ones against Bosnia and Herzegovina and defeats to England, Croatia, and Ghana. The full squad and their statistics are available in our squad section.

The squad call-up for these friendlies included several new faces. The immediate goal is to regain confidence and secure a win against the All Whites to close this FIFA window on a positive note. The match against New Zealand will be played on Tuesday, October 1st.

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