4 – 2
“Tomás Rodríguez opens the scoring to give Panama an early foothold in the match.”
Pivotal“V. Griffith doubles Panama's lead just before the break, putting them in a commanding position heading into half-time.”
Pivotal“Mariano Díaz pulls one back for the Dominican Republic within two minutes of the restart, capitalising on Panama's disjointed start after their mass substitution.”
Pivotal“Cecilio Waterman restores Panama's two-goal lead, extinguishing the Dominican Republic's brief momentum and effectively settling the match.”
Pivotal“Kadir Barría wraps up the win late on with Panama's fourth goal, securing a comfortable final scoreline.”
Panama
Dominican Republic
Panama controlled the tempo early and were rewarded when Tomás Rodríguez broke the deadlock on 16 minutes, and V. Griffith doubled the lead just before half-time to give the hosts a commanding position. The second half opened with a twist, as Mariano Díaz pulled one back within 60 seconds of the restart — a goal that coincided with Panama making a sweeping eleven-player substitution at the break, briefly disrupting their rhythm. Cecilio Waterman, one of those introduced at half-time, steadied things with a goal on 57 minutes to reassert the two-goal margin, before Erick Japa gave the Dominican Republic renewed hope at 3-2 on 67 minutes. The late tension proved short-lived, however, as substitute Kadir Barría settled the contest with a fourth goal on 89 minutes. The statistics reflected an evenly contested encounter — 50-50 possession, 12 shots to 10 — but Panama were marginally more clinical, converting five shots on target compared to their opponents' three, and their superior corner count of six to two hinted at sustained pressure in wide areas.
How entertaining was this match?
Panama host the Dominican Republic in a friendly international at Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez on June 4, looking to restore confidence after a heavy 6-2 defeat to Brazil. The home side are firm favourites, but the Dominican Republic arrive with something to prove against stronger opposition.
