The Panama national team left not only footballing questions but also medical concerns after a 1-1 draw with South Africa. Injuries to Luis 'Manotas' Mejía and Eric Davis have raised alarms in Thomas Christiansen's coaching staff during the final stretch of preparation for the 2026 World Cup. The most affected was the Uruguayan Nacional goalkeeper, who was, without a doubt, the star of the match until his departure. An instant before, the goalkeeper had cleared a ball with his left leg all the way to the other half of the field. As he got up, the signal was clear: he grabbed the back of his right thigh, threw the ball to the side, and, visibly affected, brought his hands to his face. The tears did not take long to appear. In the next play, he came out to intervene again, first trying to control with his chest. During a throw-in, the left-back showed discomfort in his back area, near his right shoulder. Although he managed to finish the first half, he did not come out for the second, being replaced by Jorge Gutiérrez. So far, the extent of the injuries to both players has not been confirmed, pending the corresponding medical exams. After the match, Thomas Christiansen commented: 'Well, we have to do an exam on both to see what they have. Although he already returned to activity last weekend, he was not called up for this tour in South Africa. He threw himself with his chest to prevent the ball from escaping towards the goal line. One is a muscle injury and the other is in the back'. The list of injured is growing. Defender Fidel Escobar continues to recover from problems in the lumbar area and has not played since December 21. To this is added the situation of midfielder Edward Cedeño, who was operated on at the end of January due to an injury to the right thigh tendon. Another recent case is that of Azarías Londoño, who suffered a muscle injury to his right hamstring in mid-February with his club, Universidad Católica of Ecuador. Barely two minutes later, Eric Davis also set off the alarms.
