Jose Cordoba was set to face Brazil at the Maracana on Sunday evening, a high-profile friendly that doubled as one of Panama’s last dress rehearsals before his first World Cup appearance. For Cordoba, it was the kind of stage he has been waiting for: Brazil, the Maracana and a match that came with real consequence for the months ahead.
Panama’s search for progress takes them into Group L this summer against England, Ghana and Croatia, and Cordoba is expected to be part of the defence charged with handling a star-studded Brazil side led by Carlo Ancelotti. That is why the fixture mattered beyond the scoreline. Panama are preparing on one of football’s most iconic stages, but they are also among the final teams to begin their World Cup campaign, with only Uzbekistan and Colombia kicking off later.
Cordoba did not hide what the venue means to him. He said the Maracana is one of the most important stadiums in Brazil and that it was a very big occasion to be there, adding: “What player wouldn’t want to play there?” He also said, “It’s going to be very important and very special to play this friendly match.”
That sense of occasion comes with pressure. Brazil were expected to test Panama’s back line with Neymar, Endrick, Vinicius Junior and Matheus Cunha, while Cordoba is still getting ready for his first World Cup appearance with Panama this summer. The friendly offered a rare chance to measure themselves against elite attacking talent before the real campaign begins, but it also exposed the gap between the ideal setting and the hard calendar waiting next.
Panama are hoping to make history in only their second World Cup appearance after exiting in the group stages in 2018. Their next steps are already fixed: after Brazil, they will face the Dominican Republic on Thursday, then Bosnia and Herzegovina in St. Louis next Saturday. The World Cup itself begins for them on June 18 against Ghana at BMO Field in Toronto, and the Maracana was the last place Cordoba could make one more statement before that run starts.
