India held FIFA World Cup participants Panama to a memorable 1-1 draw in a FIFA international friendly at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday. The 138th-ranked Blue Tigers took the lead through Ryan Williams in the 41st minute before Omar Valencia equalised in the 68th.
Against a team 94 places above them that played Ghana, Croatia and England at the World Cup, India led against the run of play thanks to a clinical finish by striker Williams. Panama, who had started with just three players from their World Cup squad, made changes at the start of the second half and the complexion of the game soon changed. Valencia — the defender who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer — restored parity with a long-range strike, set up after Azarias Londono relayed the ball to defender Eduardo Gomez, who found Valencia with a clear view of goal.
India wasted a golden chance to win it in the 79th minute, when Edmund Lalrindika failed to apply the finishing touches to a perfectly weighted pass from Ashique Kuruniyan.
A bold, attacking performance
Encouragingly, under head coach Khalid Jamil, India did not simply sit back and defend against superior opposition. The backline, led by centre-back Anwar Ali, produced an outstanding defensive performance, while the left flank kept the Panamanian defence under constant pressure — one such attacking move released Williams, the former Australia international of Indian descent who now holds an Indian passport, to open the scoring. His goal carried added significance as the Bengaluru FC forward returned to the Kanteerava Stadium, a ground closely tied to his Indian football journey, to score in national colours.
The result against a nation that competed at the FIFA World Cup only two months ago will certainly rank among the finest achievements under Jamil — and India could easily have taken all three points. The draw keeps morale high ahead of the toughest assignments in the country's footballing history: five-time world champions Brazil in Kolkata on October 3, followed by two-time world champions Uruguay on October 6.
Sources:
The Times of India: Khalid Jamil's India hold Panama to memorable 1-1 draw
Mathrubhumi English: India Holds World No. 44 Panama to 1-1 Draw
Against a team 94 places above them that played Ghana, Croatia and England at the World Cup, India led against the run of play thanks to a clinical finish by striker Williams. Panama, who had started with just three players from their World Cup squad, made changes at the start of the second half and the complexion of the game soon changed. Valencia — the defender who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer — restored parity with a long-range strike, set up after Azarias Londono relayed the ball to defender Eduardo Gomez, who found Valencia with a clear view of goal.
India wasted a golden chance to win it in the 79th minute, when Edmund Lalrindika failed to apply the finishing touches to a perfectly weighted pass from Ashique Kuruniyan.
A bold, attacking performance
Encouragingly, under head coach Khalid Jamil, India did not simply sit back and defend against superior opposition. The backline, led by centre-back Anwar Ali, produced an outstanding defensive performance, while the left flank kept the Panamanian defence under constant pressure — one such attacking move released Williams, the former Australia international of Indian descent who now holds an Indian passport, to open the scoring. His goal carried added significance as the Bengaluru FC forward returned to the Kanteerava Stadium, a ground closely tied to his Indian football journey, to score in national colours.
The result against a nation that competed at the FIFA World Cup only two months ago will certainly rank among the finest achievements under Jamil — and India could easily have taken all three points. The draw keeps morale high ahead of the toughest assignments in the country's footballing history: five-time world champions Brazil in Kolkata on October 3, followed by two-time world champions Uruguay on October 6.
Sources:
The Times of India: Khalid Jamil's India hold Panama to memorable 1-1 draw
Mathrubhumi English: India Holds World No. 44 Panama to 1-1 Draw
