Although for many, the Panama national team there was a good match at a tactical and defensive level against Curacao, the truth is that At the level of results, things are not going well for Thomas Christiansen.
Although it is true that on some occasions, especially in friendlies, the results are not taken into account when analyzing, in official matches they are important to continue to the next phase of a competition.
In these quarterfinals of the Nations League, Panama drew 0-0 against Curacao, but this result slightly favors the rivals due to the law of the away goal. Taking that fact off the table, the team added another game without a win in 2026.
Breaking down this data, of the 14 games that Panama has played, the team has only won two (vs. South Africa and the Dominican Republic). This represents only 14.29% effectiveness in the results. Of these duels, four have been in official matches.
If we put a magnifying glass on it, these two victories have been in friendly duels, that is, in 2026, Panama has not won any victory, this within the 2026 World Cup and the quarterfinals of the Nations League.
With zero against Curacao those led by Thomas Christiansen tied for the fourth consecutive time and has eight consecutive games without victory. Their last victory was on June 3 against the Dominicans in the team’s farewell match prior to the World Cup.
In this calendar year, in the 14 games played, Panama has managed to score 14 goals, that is, it averages one goal per game. He has also conceded 20 touchdowns. Numbers that powerfully attract attention.
Panama’s ‘Achilles Heel’ has been the effectiveness and lack of forcefulness in the matches. The team has been a victim of this lack of goals and the results speak for themselves.
The new generation that knocks on the door, with Josué Vergara and Kadir Barría in the attack, invites us to hope that Panama could change that panorama in front of goal.
On the other hand, if we look at José Fajardo’s data with the national team, his numbers are also worrying. This November 13, the striker from the Universidad Católica celebrates exactly one calendar year without scoring for the national team.
His last goal was in that match against Guatemala in El Trébol for the Qualifiers on the way to the 2026 World Cup. Fajardo scored one of the goals in the victory in-extremis 2-3 against the chapines.
This Sunday, November 15, the Panama team will have the opportunity to reverse this bad streak of results when only victory is enough for the team to qualify for the Final Four of the Nations League and obtain a ticket to the 2027 Gold Cup.
