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Media highlights Panama's triumph over Jamaica in World Cup 2018 Qualifiers

Xinhua, November 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

Panama's newspapers catalogued on Saturday their national soccer team's 2-0 away win against Jamaica as a well-deserved and important result.

   The match, which marked the start of the Central American team's participation in the zonal semifinal stage of the World Cup Russia 2018 Qualifiers, took place on Friday evening in the Jamaican capital of Kingston.

   "The national team won and made Panama smile: bring on Costa Rica on Tuesday," was the headline of morning daily La Prensa in Panama's capital.

   The win finally put an end to Panama's 12-match losing streak. 

   Haiti is also part of the same Qualifiers group and they lost 0-1 to final group member Costa Rica on Friday evening.

   Out of the four teams, the two that finish the group with the most points will be granted access to the final of the regional qualifiers for the World Cup. 

   The newspaper said midfielder Armando Cooper was one of the best players of the match and helped Panama win with "a gem of a goal" from a free kick in the 42nd minute.  

   The coach, Colombian Hernan Dario Gomez's, acknowledged that defender Felipe Baloy, who only joined the team fairly recently, "is a leader that shows his potential daily," according to the local daily.  

   Gomez's team dominated the middle of the field preventing Jamaica from ever really getting into the game. 

   "Panama danced around the Reggae Boyz in Kingston" was the headline in Panama City newspaper La Estrella. The daily also highlighted the importance of the team's goalkeeper Jose Calderon as he prevented the Caribbean side from scoring. 

   "To dream" was the headline of morning paper El Panama America. The daily went onto detail the match and comment on how the team's hiatus in wins had come to an end at the right time with a side that "dominated the Independence Park Stadium."  Endi