Panama’s Jaime Penedo in dreamland and ready to dance with England

The 1,000-1 outsiders’ goalkeeper travels to Russia without fear: ‘Going to the World Cup gives you the opportunity to go into another dimension, another football planet for Panama’

When the final whistle blew in the Estadio Rommel Fernández to confirm their World Cup passage thanks to a 2-1 win against Costa Rica, an impromptu nationwide street party began across Panama. The emotional release was the culmination of decades of work for both the small Central American nation and their goalkeeper, Jaime Penedo.

The well-travelled 36-year-old is the nation’s most experienced player, earning 130 caps in a 15-year international career. Football in Panama does not lend itself to creating top-class footballers, so Penedo has spent time at Osasuna, LA Galaxy and now Dinamo Bucharest but his proudest moments will come in Russia in games against England, Belgium and Tunisia.

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