The Panama U-17 national team achieved an important victory of 2-1 over the Dominican Republic, securing their participation in the upcoming World Cup in this category to be held in November in Qatar. The Panamanian team had an outstanding performance in Group G of the Concacaf Qualifiers, accumulating a total of nine points, 13 goals scored, and only one against.
The match began with the Panama team attacking from the sides against an opponent that defended at key moments with five players. Despite the efforts, the goalkeeper of the Dominican Republic, Wilkins Geraldo, kept his goal intact by stopping several shots, including one from Joseph López in the 18th minute and another from Abraham Altamirano in the 25th minute.
The persistence of the Panamanians paid off when, in the 29th minute, Mikel Prado scored on a pass from Altamirano, putting the score 1-0 in favor of Panama. Despite the lead, the Dominican Republic managed to equalize 1-1 in the 44th minute with a goal from Alejandro López. However, in the 87th minute, Estevis López received a cross from Pablo Aranda and scored decisively, leaving the score 2-1 in favor of the Panamanians.
Despite an additional opportunity in the 93rd minute, where Panama could have extended their lead, Geraldo stopped a penalty taken by Abraham Altamirano. After nine minutes of added time, the referee signaled the end of the match, thus ensuring Panama's qualification for their fourth U-17 World Cup, after having participated in the editions of Mexico 2011, United Arab Emirates 2013, and Indonesia 2023.
