Panama down Martinique to continue perfect start in Group B

PANAMA CITY, Panama – Panama have earned six points through two games after downing Martinique 5-0 in Group B of League A of the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League on Thursday night at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City, Panama.

It was also the fourth victory for Panama against Martinique in as many all-time matches between the two and stretched Panama’s clean sheet streak against the Caribbean side to four games.

The Canaleros could not have asked for a better start, as they took a 1-0 lead in the 6’ through Gabriel Torres, who got behind the Martinique defense and fired a shot that smacked off the crossbar and fell right in front of the goal-line. Torres then smartly followed up his shot and managed to nod home a header for the score.

Panama kept up the pressure and some good fortune went their way in the 15’ to be able to double the advantage when an Anibal Godoy ball into the area was headed into net by Martinique’s Karl Vitulin for the own goal.

Martinique were not about to throw in the towel and 19-year-old attacker Jeremy Sebas came within a whisker of pulling a goal back with a left-footed shot in the 25’. That was followed by a left-footed strike from Cyril Mandouki in the 33’ that hit the crossbar.

GK Orlando Mosquera was then called on to tip over the crossbar a Kevin Parsemain shot that look destined for the back of the net in the 40’.

Any Martinique momentum, though, came to a halt in the 56’ when a long-range strike from Fidel Escobar squeezed under Martinique GK Yannis Clementia and into net, making it 3-0 to Panama.

Les Matinino still surged forward in search of a goal, but getting past Mosquera proved too difficult, including on a curling right-footed effort from Mickael Biron in the 73’ that saw the Canalero ‘keeper stretch to make the save.

Edgar Barcenas then capped the Panamanian festivities with a powerful right-footed strike in the 85’ and a tap-in in the 90+3’ to complete the 5-0 scoreline.