Panama head coach Thomas Christiansen has explained why the Central American country opted to play against Bafana Bafana this international break.
Christiansen, 53, a Danish-born former Spain international striker enjoyed a notable playing career, evening finishing as the Bundesliga’s top goal scorer in 2002/03 with VFL Bochum.
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He was a teammate of Bafana winger Delron Buckley, with the duo playing over 50 games together for the German club.
He has taken charge of Panama in 2020 and since shaped the team into a technically organized side, favouring possession-based football. They have shown impressive campaigns in the CONCACAF Nations League and the Gold Cup but will now play their first ever games on the African continent.
“The goal is to play against an African team,” Christiansen said, as per the Panamanian FA.
“There are constant similarities with Ghana to what we will find with South Africa, and that was the objective.
“By playing two games against them, we can also change our ideas, positions, and players, and that’s what we want.
“It also gives us the possibility of rotating a bit and giving minutes to others who perhaps haven’t seen any playing time with the national team.”
Bafana and Panama met each other once before, at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup, playing out a 1-1 draw before Stuart Baxter’s side lost 5-3 on penalties.
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