Panama tomorrow, so if England want to impress they will have to emulate the achievements of some of the "better" matches played over the past few days. Does any nation look outstanding? Mexico look energetic, Belgium exciting with great individuals, Portugal and Spain shared a cracking draw and tonight it is the turn of the Germans to make amends. What a pity if they fail.....and Argentina too.
England's latest opposition, emerging from the Central Americas (CONCACAF), have battled their way through to the finals for the first time. It was 1978 when Panama first tried through qualifying. For 2018 they played 16, won 6 and drew 5. Opposition were:
Famous for "hats" (Geoffrey Boycott style), they originate from Ecuador and are made of toquilla straw, given the name because they were shipped from the Isthmus of Panama for sale abroad. Crossing the isthmus in the famed canal.
The canal is 50 miles long and took 33 years to build and accounts for a huge amount of money into the nation's economy. It allows vessels to travel from the Pacific and Atlantic, avoiding the treacherous Cape Horn. My daughter finished her "gap year" on the canal, Worldly trip from southern South America through the continent and finally hitching a ride on a boat sailing through the canal, working her ticket.
Roman Torres (below) scored an 88th winner against Costa Rica, taking a place in Russia rather than the USA. Juan Carlos Verela, the president of the nation declared a national holiday.
A key figure at the Panama FA is ex-Millwall resident Gary Stempel, born of a British mother and Panamanian father moving to London when he was 5. He moved back from England in 1996 with his family, working with Panama Viejo and has experienced youth football and youth gangs, taking the Panama U20s to the World Youth Cup and the seniors in the 2009 Central American Nations Cup.
Manager Hernan Darion Gomez, The Baton, a Colombian international, is the only manager to have led three different countries to a World cup Finals; Colombia 1998, Ecuador 2002 and Panama 2018.
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