ORLANDO, Florida.- Panama played its best game of the 2021 Gold Cup, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to see them advance to the quarterfinals.
Los Canaleros were impressive in their Group D finale, cruising past Granada in a 3-1 in Exploria Stadium. Yet, due to Qatar beating Honduras 2-0, Panama was unfortunately held out of moving forward in the Gold Cup.
Panama could not have asked for a better start. In the sixth minute, the team pulled off a dazzling display of accurate passes that eventually ended up in the feet of forward Alberto Quintero. He would blast the ball to the far post, an impossible shot for Granada goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook to stop.
Panama wouldn't stop there.
In the 27th minute mark, Panama pushed its score to 2-0 thanks to a similarly impressive display of touches that would eventually end up with midfield Jose Rodriguez. He would slot the ball to the bottom corner to get on the scoresheet.
Panama continued to be aggressive, constantly pushing for its third goal in the second half. Midfielder Edgar Barcenas would find Rodriguez, who took on the Granadian defense to score his goal of the night with a precise left-footed finish in the 64th minute.
Although Granada won't be happy with its final match of the 2021 Gold Cup, they did manage to get a consolation goal in the 76th minute. Granada's Romar Frank took advantage of a big error from Panama captain Adolfo Machado to cut the score to a two-goal deficit.
In the final minutes, Granada was looking to score their second goal of the night -- creating several late opportunities. However, Panama also asserted itself as it ensured it would wrap up the match by fighting to retain possession.
