World Cup 2018: 3 things that Panama did right on their debut

#2 Belgium had to dig deep

Tejada of Panama almost scores in the melee

The scoreline will reflect a comfortable outing for the team currently ranked 3rd in the World. What it will not reflect is how the 55th ranked team gave the Belgians a harrowing time. De Bruyne particularly had to dig deep and he delivered an exquisite ball which was finished with an exemplary flourish by Lukaku.

Yellow cards though were the theme and the game saw 8 of them with Panama leading the stats column. Tejada though wasn’t one of them and his introduction saw Panama create a flurry of chances. He should have scored in the 85th minute when a botched interception almost saw him through on goal only to find himself offside.

The 36-year-old striker replaced his 37-year-old team-mate, Blaz Perez and could have easily been the first Panama player to score at a World Cup but will now have to wait for his next chance as they face England next.

Thereafter, it was only a potshot by Panama that almost caught out Courtois that stood out. It was a memorable game nevertheless as De Mertens opened the scoring with a beautifully struck volley. Given that Belgium faces Tunisia next, they will look to seal their knockout stage ahead of their fixture against England.