The coach of Panama, Hernán Darío 'Bolillo' Gómez, said he was not satisfied with his team's 3-0 defeat against Belgium in their historic debut in a World Cup, but acknowledged that the difference between the two countries' football is much deeper.
"The difference between Belgium and Panama in football is more than three goals," said the veteran Colombian coach from the press room of the Olympic Stadium in Sochi, where the match took place for Group G.
"It is a result that cannot be positive because we lost, but it is not as high as it was thought, taking into account the difference with the history of the Belgian team and the World Cups they have participated in," he added, highlighting the commitment of his team on a historic day.
Embraced by a numerous and colorful crowd, debutant Panama surprised Belgium with a solid defense that allowed them to go goalless into halftime.
"At times, we were on par on the field. It is a good performance with a result that anyone could have thought would be 7-0, but it is 3-0, although nobody likes to lose," valued the experienced coach who was starting his third World Cup as a coach, after his experiences with Colombia in France 1998 and Ecuador in South Korea and Japan 2002.
Despite being a familiar face in World Cups, 'Bolillo' stated that he felt the same excitement as the first time, witnessing the debut of this small nation of four million inhabitants, who supported their team passionately.
"These are very strong emotions. This is my fifth World Cup (he participated as an assistant coach with Colombia in 1990 and 1994) and I felt sensations as if it was the first one. With nerves, joy, anxiety..." he said before admitting that he had not been able to sleep.
The defeat against Belgium leaves Panama in a very delicate situation, as their next match in the tight Group G will be against the challenging England next Sunday.