Absolute victory! Panama defeated 2-1 Costa Rica in matchday 1 of the 2023 Gold Cup group stage. The match was played at the Lockhart Stadium in Florida and witnessed goals from Fajardo (23′) and Bárcenas (68′) in favor of the ‘Canaleros’. On the part of the ‘Ticos’, Suárez (91′) discounted near the end. With this result, Panama is in second place, behind Martinique, while Costa Rica and El Salvador remain with 0 points in the standings.
Summary and alignments of Costa Rica vs. Panama:
- Costa Rica: Kevin Chamorro, Kendall Waston, Juan Pablo Vargas, Pablo Arboine, Suhander Zuñiga, Carlos Martinez, Ricardo Peña, Roan Wilson, Josimar Alcócer, Warren Madrigal and Joel Campbell
- Panama: Luis Mejía, Harold Cummings, Roderick Miller, Fidel Escobar, Aníbal Godoy, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Cesar Blackman, Édgar Bárcenas, Alberto Quintero, Ismael Díaz and José Fajardo.