Kicked out of the club after less than 3 months, now he took his national team to the World Cup and made the country cry
Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 10:41 / Updated Wednesday, November 19, 2025 10:47
Victorious with El Salvador, 3-0, Panama qualified for the World Championship in 2026. It will be their second participation in history!
The celebration was anticipated by the goal signed by Cesar Blackman in the 17th minute, and everything was decided at the end of the first half. Panama's advantage was doubled by Eric Davis from a penalty ('45+4), and the final score was set by José Luis Rodríguez, nicknamed Puma, 5 minutes before the end.
It was a goal of release, a success that made the stadium erupt and caused huge joy for the footballer sacked by Red Star Belgrade in 2024 after only two and a half months at the club.
Panama, qualified for the World Championship for the second time in history!
As soon as the referee blew the final whistle, the Panamanians collapsed on the pitch and burst into tears, aware that they had written history. Then the celebration officially began, with dancing on the field, torches and many tears of joy.
This will be Panama's second appearance at the World Cup, following their debut in Russia in 2018. Then, the Panamanians finished last in the group, losing in a row to Belgium, England and Tunisia.
In these qualifiers, Panama finished first in Group A of the Central and North American qualifiers, accumulating a total of 12 points. Suriname, 9 points, placed second and will play the play-off. The Surinamese started the day hoping for a miracle qualification, but lost in Guatemala, 1-3.
From Central and North America, Canada, the USA and Mexico also qualified for the World Cup as hosts, respectively Haiti and Curacao from the preliminaries. For the latter, it will be the first appearance at the most prestigious competition in football.
