Panama clinched a spot in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup after a 1-0 win over Paraguay in Intercontinental Playoffs at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton in New Zealand.
Panama had to wait till the 75th minute to break the deadlock. Half-time substitute Lineth Cedeno met a free kick from Marta Cox with a strong header to give Panama the advantage they maintained till the final whistle.
The victory makes Panama the final team to qualify for the global sporting event, which will take place in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20, 2023.
The win was narrow but was all that Panama needed. They have earned their first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup qualification and will be joining France, Jamaica and Brazil in Group F.
Both Panama and Paraguay had their chances in the match and Jess Martinez produced a massive chance for the latter with a fierce free-kick in the first half and Panama goalkeeper Yenith Bailey barely managed to keep it out of the net.
Panama earned one of the greatest wins in their country's football history.
Panama's Riley Tanner summed up the mood after the win.
"This is a dream come true. It was definitely a grind out there for us today. Paraguay is a really good team, so we never thought we would find it easy to play our football. All that mattered in this match was winning, qualifying, and we are just so happy that we have done that. This whole experience has been amazing," Riley Tanner said, according to Olympics.com.
Portugal, Haiti, Panama secured the final three places in the World Cup.
Portugal will be entering Group E, where they will face four-time World champions USA besides Vietnam and the Netherlands. Haiti will be joining European champions England, Denmark and China in Group D.
Panama will be part of Group F and will be one of the seven teams making their debut alongside Philippines, Vietnam, Morocco, Zambia, Haiti, Portugal and the Republic of Ireland.
Panama will be starting their campaign against Brazil on July 23 and their final group game will be against France on August 2.
( With inputs from ANI )
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