The Panama team is very determined in the match against the Vietnam futsal team, after losing 1-5 to the Czech Republic in the opening match. However, they were soon behind 0-2, with two goals from Nguyen Minh Tri and Chau Doan Phat.
At the end of the first half, Castrello scored a double to help Panama equalize 2-2. In the second half, Panama had many shots but could not defeat goalkeeper Ho Van Y. On the contrary, the Vietnamese team had 1 counter-attack and Nguyen Van Hieu scored the winning goal to seal a 3-2 victory.
With this result, Panama has no points after 2 matches. In the final round, they will meet Brazil - the strongest team in Group D. The chance for Jose Botana and his team to cause a surprise is very low. Panama is at great risk of being eliminated. The Vietnamese team has 3 points and has the opportunity to register for the round of 16.
"The mistakes put Panama in a difficult position," La Prensa covered a large page in the match report. According to this leading Panamanian newspaper, Jose Botana and his team have almost lost hope of reaching the knockout round of the World Cup this year. Only by miracle can Panama beat Brazil in the final match on September 19.
"We have made a lot of mistakes. We conceded two goals from set pieces. Committing those innocent mistakes is difficult to reverse the situation. Panama played better than the loss to the Czech Republic, unfortunately the team could not take advantage of the opportunities created," coach Jose Botana shared bitterly.
Somos La Sele newspaper emphasized that not taking advantage of opportunities was the biggest reason leading to Panama's loss to Vietnam. The Chau My team had 14 shots on target and many other good finishing opportunities. However, they could not beat goalkeeper Ho Van Y, who played excellently, as well as shoot wide in favorable situations.
"With the loss to Vietnam and the big surprise exception against Brazil, Panama is not considered an elimination group," the newspaper shared. Brazil is considered a strong candidate for the World Cup championship. They beat Vietnam 9-1 and the Czech Republic 3-0. With their strength, Brazil is likely to win big against Panama in the final match.
Dia a Dia newspaper emphasized that Panama had left the World Cup after losing to Vietnam. They said that the home team had almost no chance to cause a surprise against Brazil - a team that had won the World Cup 5 times.
