View the Panama 2-2 Costa Rica highlights & recap here.
The Panama vs Costa Rica match will be held at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 9 PM Eastern. This will be both teams’ opening Hexagonal match, neither will want to drop any points- expect an exceptional encounter in Panama City.
Panama surprised the CONCACAF region when it qualified out of Group C with relative ease, letting Canada and Honduras duke it out for the last spot. Panama was undefeated at home, winning 2 out of 3, traveled to Honduras and beat them, and its only loss came in Canada. Now, Panama must defend its home points at all costs.
If Panama wants to go to the World Cup, it must win its home games against Honduras, Costa Rica and Jamaica, and hope to at least get draws against Mexico and USA. A draw or loss on Wednesday against Costa Rica would be devastating for the Canaleros.
Panama’s latest official matches were just 2 weeks ago in the 2013 Copa Centroamericana, where it went undefeated, tying El Salvador and Honduras, and defeating Guatemala in the crucial “Fifth Place” match that guaranteed the Panamanians a spot in the 2013 Gold Cup. Valdes’ squad has now played 6 official matches without tasting defeat- pretty good streak for a team hoping to perform well in the Hexagonal.
Costa Rica’s participation in the Copa Centroamericana was nearly perfect, earning the title, and going undefeated by winning 4 of its 5 matches. Coach Pinto has found a good mix of players that get him the results (Costa Rica is now undefeated in 7 straight official matches).
Costa Rica proved that it can get the away result if necessary; on October 12, 2013, Costa Rica visited El Cuscatlan knowing that a loss meant elimination. Cosa Rica manned up and get the all-important away win that secured the spot in the Hexagonal. An away win in Panama would be a great start for the Ticos, expect them to play a tough game.
Click here for the Panama and Costa Rica roster for this match.
Panama vs Costa Rica 2013 Prediction
The Panama vs Costa Rica match will be intense, the fans will be loud, and both teams will be looking for a favorable result. Panama must win, there’s no other option for this. Costa Rica would be satisfied with a draw. Expect Costa Rica to fall back and counterattack while the Panamanians surge forward on the attack. The final score for the Panama vs Costa Rica match will be a 1-1 draw that hurts Panama’s chances.
Panama vs Costa Rica 2013 Television
The Panama vs Costa Rica match will be televised on beIN Sport USA on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 9 PM Eastern.
View the Panama 2-2 Costa Rica highlights & recap here.
