EXCLUSIVE - Raisa Simplicio
It was fifth time lucky for Panama – after four straight defeats against Brazil, the Central American side finally cracked it on Saturday as they earned a 1-1 draw against the five-time world champions.
The Brasil Global Tour contest at FC Porto’s historic Dragao stadium will live forever in the memories of the Panamanians, less than a year after making history by securing their first World Cup finals appearance.
And so too will it live in the memory of one Adolfo Machado, who headed a historic equaliser for Los Canaleros.
In an exclusive interview with Goal Brasil, the defender spoke of his pride at holding the Selecao to their first Brasil Global Tour draw since the Wold Cup in Russia.
"I am very grateful for the opportunity to score a goal against Brazil, a great team with great players,” Machado said.
“It was worth it, for the effort we put in, after only two days to train and prepare, and today we can enjoy it.
“We studied hard and we saw that we had to close the spaces so that they did not have direct contact with our goal.”
Machado also spoke about the continued growth of football in Panama, particularly after the World Cup in Russia.
"Football in Panama is evolving,” he said. “After the World Cup, we learned a lot. It was a beautiful experience and our games is continuing to grow, professionally.
“We are making history right now, like we did at the World Cup. Today, we scored against Brazil, we achieved a draw, after playing against them several times and never even scoring a goal, let alone getting a draw.”
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