World Cup 2018: Belgium v Panama - Player ratings

E
An exemplary touch of class
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Not a happy WC debut for Panama

Panama

Jaime Penedo - 6/10

Can't be blamed for any of the goals as his defence was asleep on two occasions and on the other, he was beaten by a spectacular goal.

Otherwise, Penedo stopped three other well-hit shots on target.

Michael Murillo - 3/10

Whenever the opposition moved the ball quickly, Murillo was either found in a narrow position or further up the pitch. It is simply unacceptable at this level. He was unable to cope with Hazard and De Bruyne's brilliance down his side.

Roman Torres - 4/10

Handled a couple of situations well and chipped in with a good number of clearances and interceptions. But apart from those moments, the captain dwindled as the game went on. One of his back passes was a horror show, which almost granted Hazard a breakthrough.

Fidel Escobar - 7/10

Panama's best player by some distance. Escobar was in charge of Lukaku, who struggled to find his feet against the centre-back. He played it safe, won almost all the balls in the air and read the game better than anyone else in this side.

Eric Davis - 4/10

Davis' long balls and crosses were unfruitful. At the back, he was too reckless with his challenges. He cheaply fouled Carrasco and Hazard many times. In addition to that, he was rather switched off during corners.

Gabriel Gomez - 6/10

Gomez shielded the back four, cleared his lines, looked up to find the right pass and helped his side frustrate Belgium in the first-half. Undoubtedly, motivation levels and structure dropped after the first goal.

Edgar Barcenas - 6.5/10

Barcenas showcased strength and a burgeoning desire to test Vertonghen. Although the Belgian was largely successful, Panama's right winger tested him to a notable extent.

Armando Cooper - 4/10

Cooper couldn't get off the blocks while attacking as he was seeded in a deeper position. While aiding the defence too, he was not well-positioned always.

Anibal Godoy - 5/10

Spent most of his game in the defensive third. Didn't offer any counter-attacking threat either. Godoy was almost invisible for most parts of the game.

Joe Luis Rodriguez - 3/10

Struggled to find an opening that could disturb the Belgian defence. His first touch let him down, which was one of the main reasons for Panama's counter-attacking failures.

Blas Perez - 5/10

Was played as a sole target man up front and without much say in possession, one would expect him to be isolated.

Also to mention, he held up play and passing was way below par too.

Substitutes:

Gabriel Torres - 4/10

Torres failed to throw caution to the wind, get in behind Belgium's back three or add a cutting edge to the proceedings.

Ismael Diaz - 5/10

Offered nothing down the left or middle and as a result, was left stranded in no man's land.

Luis Tejada - NA

Much like the other substitutes, he found little going forward.

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Edited by Kishan Prasad