LIONS LOOKING ‘STRONGER THAN FOR MANY YEARS’
PANAMA are preparing to face the best England team of the last decade, according to midfielder Anibal Godoy.
Panama’s Godoy, an avid fan of the Premier League, was not surprised by England’s stoppage-time win over Tunisia.
He said: “I watch live Premier League games every weekend – every Panama player does.
“I know how good the players are, I know the young players they have – Raheem Sterling, Dele Alli, Harry Kane, Eric Dier (right), Jordan Henderson.
“It’s a different England. It’s not like 10 years ago. Now they have more quick players, more fresh players. I think this World Cup for England is very important.
“They are stronger than they have been in the last few World Cups. They have a lot of good players. The Premier League is, for me, the best in the world. They don’t have a big, big star but they work hard.”
And midfielder Godoy knows that an upset could be on the cards. “In football, you never know,” he said. “You saw Costa Rica four years ago in the group, when they played against Uruguay, England and Italy. They were top of the group. “This is why football is so difficult. In this moment there are no big teams, no small teams. Every team wants to fight.” Even if Panama are unable to replicate Costa Rica’s shock four years on, just participating in Russia has had a huge impact on the sport back home. In a country where Mariano Rivera, a 13-time All Star with baseball’s New York Yankees, and boxer Roberto Duran, a fourweight world champion, were born, football has not always been the most popular game.
But 28-year-old Godoy added: “At this moment football is the first sport in the country.
“Everybody wants to watch the World Cup.”