Panama coach Thomas Christiansen has pointed to Bengaluru’s traffic and complicated travel arrangements as factors that affected his team’s preparation for their 1-1 draw against India in an international friendly.
The World Cup participants were hosted by Khalid Jamil’s side at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Friday, with India producing a spirited performance against their significantly higher-ranked opponents.
I don’t want this to sound like an excuse: Panama spent two hours in traffic
Christiansen said that his players spent around two hours travelling by bus to the stadium on matchday, leaving the team with limited time to prepare and recover before the game. “I don’t want this to sound like an excuse, but it is not easy to be in a bus for two hours in traffic to get to the stadium,”Christiansen said after the match.
“The logistics and the travel here were also complicated. We have to be smarter when we sign these agreements again. I don’t want this to sound like an excuse, but we have to be careful with how we handle things inside and outside the pitch because our players deserve better,” he added.
The Panama head added that the team’s overall travel and logistical arrangements had been complicated, suggesting factors should be considered more carefully when future international fixtures are scheduled.
How India took advantage to secure draw
India took the lead through Ryan Williams in the 41st minute before Panama responded after half-time. Omar Valencia leveled the contest in the 68th minute with a powerful long-range effort.
Despite Panama’s World Cup pedigree, India remained competitive throughout and created opportunities to find a second goal late in the match. Christiansen also acknowledged that India made life difficult for his side, particularly when Panama allowed the hosts time and space on the ball.
“If you give them space and time, they can do whatever they want because they have some very good-quality players. They made it difficult for us, especially in our defensive line, with the second striker they had up front. It was difficult to manage that,” Christiansen said.
“We were a little bit disorganised. That also gave India the possibility, when they recovered the ball, to go and attack because we were so spread out and our lines were too far apart. That was one of the main reasons why we didn’t come really well into the game,” he added.
