Panama sink Bafana in World Cup warm-up clash

Panama secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Bafana Bafana in an international friendly match at the DHL Stadium on Tuesday night.

The two teams were deadlocked at the interval, in a first half that lacked clear-cut goal scoring opportunities from either side.

Panama broke the deadlock in the 58th minute through Jose Cordoba after the hosts failed to clear their lines from a freekick.

Hugo Broos' men showed character as they upped the ante on the back of conceding, and were eventually awarded with Mbekezeli Mbokazi netting a scorcher in the 64th minute to restore parity.

The visitors, however, kept pushing for the winning goal despite the passionate South African crowd against them in the Mother city.

Panama scored the winning goal in the 76th minute, punishing Bafana for failure to deal with yet another set-piece, with Jiovany Ramos getting on the scoresheet.

The two teams had played to a one-all draw in the first meeting at the Moses Mabhida Stadium last week Friday, as Bafana failed failed to convert their chances in addition to lapse in concentration at the back.

Notably, this was Bafana's first home defeat since the appointment of Broos in May 2021 - raising concerns with just under three months before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Hlayisani Magoro

Editorfr, en

Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.