Paniagua double leads Costa Rica over Panama

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica – The Final Round of the 2026 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Qualifiers kicked off with Costa Rica earning a 3-1 win against Panama in Group C on Tuesday at the Costa Rican Football Federation Field #1 in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica took the lead in the 29’ off an own goal from Camila Aparicio.

Lucía Paniagua extended the lead with a penalty conversion in the 35’, striking a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner.

Paniagua struck again in the 45’+4’ to place Las Ticas up by three prior to halftime.

Cristabella Ríos cut the deficit for Panama in the 57’ in an attempt to spark a comeback effort.

Both teams will play their next encounter on Thursday, March 19. Panama will meet Mexico, while Costa Rica clashes with Jamaica.

**Post– Match Data **

Lucía Paniagua Cordero reached seven goals and scored her first brace, becoming Costa Rica’s all-time leading scorer in Final Round history, surpassing the five goals recorded by Katherine María Alvarado in the 2008 edition.

Panama’s Camila Isabella Ap aricio scored her first own goal, marking the second own goal in favor of Costa Rica in the tournament, following the one by Ayshalay Juliette Simons (45+2’) on April 5, 2025 (CRC 9-1 BER). Her teammate Cristabella Naishel Ríos scored her first goal and the 25th for her country.

Costa Rica reached 70 goals scored, the highest total by a Central American team in the history of the Final Round of the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Qualifiers. The win was their 12th in 28 matches, placing them as the Central American nation with the most victories.

For Panama, it was their 13th defeat in 19 matches played. It also marked the first time they have lost to a Central American team in a group opener. In such matches, Panama now records three consecutive defeats: 13-0 vs. United States (Group B, February 2, 2024), 6-1 vs. Puerto Rico (Group B, April 1, 2025), and 3-1 vs. Costa Rica (Group C, March 17, 2026).