Los Canaleros may have let one get away.
Despite enjoying a lead for most of the second half, Panama conceded a late equalizer and had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Haiti in the opening game of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. It’s likely a huge disappointment for one of the more experienced sides in the tournament with aspirations to replicate their performance in the 2013 tournament when they made it to the final.
Late Haiti Equalizer Forces Draw with Panama
The first half saw Panama with a pretty significant edge in possession as well as time spent in the opposition’s final third. They created plenty of chances that forced Haiti goalkeeper Johnny Placide to be at his best. Panamanian forward Luis Tejada had two of the more flashy opportunities at goal in the first 45 connecting on two bicycle kicks, one of which forced a save out of the Haitian captain Placide. Nevertheless, the game remained scoreless at halftime.
Panama’s breakthrough came fairly early in the second half. After a throw-in that was headed up into the air, Haiti defender Reginal Goreux attempted to clear. Instead, he whiffed on the ball altogether which fell right to the feet of Panamanian midfielder Alberto Quintero who deftly volleyed it past Placide to give Los Canaleros the lead in the 56th minute. The goal was Quintero’s fourth for his national team.
Panama would continue to have chances throughout the remainder of the second half but were unable to convert them. That gave the Haitians the opportunity to snatch a result out of the game if they could just get a single flair of greatness. It inevitably came in the 86th minute.
After forcing a turnover in the middle third of the field, Haiti’s Wilde Guerrier sent a floating through ball down the right flank of the field towards Sonny Norde who was subbed in a mere six minutes earlier. Norde would make a cut that left Panamania defender Harold Cummings completely out of position and the Panama goal exposed. Goalkeeper Jaime Penedo was unable to get a hand on the well-struck shot that tied the game and ultimately enabled Haiti to escape with a point.
Panama controlled possession for much of the game. All in all, they possessed the ball for 68.6 percent of the game. In fact, there were only two five-minute intervals during the game where the Haitians outdid the Panamanians possession-wise. That said, their strategy to play for the counter worked well enough in this game to get a result out of it. That game plan was on full display in the eventual equalizer.
Both teams 2015 Gold Cup campaigns continue on Friday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. Panama take on Honduras in a match-up that could determine who finishes second in the group, while Haiti face the United States in the second match of the doubleheader.
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
