Belgium Vs Panama
On the 18h of June, Belgium is playing Panama at Fisht Stadium for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Belgium
For Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina were their main rivals during the World Cup qualifiers. With only six goals conceded they scored 43 across their ten games. Hoping for a better run than what happened in the Euro 2016, Belgium’s concerns remain as they have injured key players once again.
Qualifying Moments
Belgium was victorious over their primary rivals Bosnia in a 4-0 victory at home in October 2016. In Athens, Belgium beat Greece 2-1 in September 2017 making them the first team from Europe to qualify for Russia. They beat Bosnia again 4-3 in October 2017 after trailing behind them at halftime. Only a few days after they beat Cyprus equaling Germany’s record for goals scored in a qualifying round.
ROBERTO MARTINEZ
In August 2016 Roberto was appointed the new coach for Belgium with a two-year contract. His appointment was surprising to the team and fans as the Royal Belgian Football Association were searching for an internationally experienced coach. His run with Everton may be his only continental involvement however he has a lot of knowledge of the Premier League. This is really valuable as the Premier League is home to 50% of the Belgium Squad. In 2013 he also won the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic
EDEN HAZARD
27-year-old Eden Hazard is a Belgian attacking midfielder who plays for Chelsea and the Belgium National Team. Eden is the captain for Belgium and has seen much more freedom since Martinez became their new coach. He has scored six goals in the qualifiers for Belgium and is crucial if they are to succeed in Russia.
KEVEN DE BRUYNE
Kevin De Bruyne is a 26-year-old midfielder who plays for Manchester City and the Belgium National team. Kevin is the second top dog of Belgium next to Hazard. Although he has unfortunately never been able to reproduce his club form internationally.
OTHER NEWS
The legendary Radja Nainggolan has unfortunately retired from his international career with Belgium after not making it on the squad list for the 2018 World Cup.
Panama
Finishing third place in the CONCACAF qualifying group, Panama booked their first ticket to a World Cup after dramatically beating Costa Rica 2-1. Their team is more based on hard work than talent, and the players have been playing together for a long time.
Qualifying Moments
Fidel Escobar scored against Honduras beating them 1-0 in November 2016. After starting with an advantage in their group Panama lost it after being defeated by Trinidad & Tobago and drawing with the USA in March 2016. They beat Honduras again 3-0 breaking the streak of six losses in September 2016. A miracle happened in November 2016 when Blas Perez and Roman Torres scored in the dying minutes of a 2-1 victory over Costa Rica.
HERNAN DARIO GOMEZ
The 61-year-old Columbian used to play as a defensive midfielder fielder an has been coaching Panama since 2014. His coaching career started when he was an assistant to Francisco Maturana while at Atletico Nacional where he eventually became the head coach in 1991. In the same year, he led them to win the Categoria Primera A title.
LUIZ TEJADA
Luiz Tejada is most definitely the star of Panama. The 36-year-old striker plays for Sport Boys Association and Panama’s national team. He’s Panama’s all-time leading top scorer with 43 goals within 204 appearances for his national team.
ROMAN TORRES
Roman is a 32-year-old defender who plays for Seattle Sounders FC and Panama’s national team. He really stands out from the rest of his team whilst representing more of their determination than talent. He is known as the ‘Mazinger’ for his body that resembles more off of a wrestlers physique. The giant scored the winning goal against Costa Rica in the last three minutes sealing a place for his nation in Russia.
OTHER NEWS
The 33-year old midfielder, Amilcar Henriquez was murdered during a robbery in April 2017. This is a tragic loss, he was an essential team member with 84 caps.
PREDICTED LINE-UP
SPORTS OF THE DAYS VERDICT
Panama is a really hard-working team, however, we don’t think that alone will be enough to defeat the talent from Belgium.
Google’s win probability is at 82% for Belgium to beat Panama. The chances of Panama winning is at just 6% with a 12% chance of it being a draw.
