Women's Futsal Championship

Havana, Apr 30 (JIT) - The debut of the Cubans in the First CONCACAF Women's Futsal Championship, held in Guatemala, ended with a tough defeat against Panama.

Although the duel also marked the first presentation of the Canaleras as a national team in an international event, nerves took their toll on the islanders.

It took 12 minutes to open the scoreboard, and that broke the resistance of those of the Greater Antilles, defenseless against the psychological blow that meant the goal of their opponents.

And soon three more goals went in, sending the Panamanians into the halftime break with a 4-0 lead, which made the comeback seem a very difficult task, given the script of the first half.

The nervousness of the team coached by Gregorio Morales made them look slow in their rotations, losing balls at the start and failing to execute the rehearsed patterns. Added to this was the ineffectiveness in the definition and some unnecessary fouls in dangerous areas.

However, in the second half it was possible to see at least the determination to solve the mess of the first half, although it seemed very difficult.

And despite the fact that, given the difference, the Panamanians hardly had to defend it, there were flashes that gave hope to the Cubans.

Two goals came in the legs of Yarianna Zunzunegui and Katherine Rodriguez, who showed the possibility of finding ways to hurt the opponent, but the latter responded twice and left the final score at 6-2.

This Wednesday the Cubans will face Mexico, also at the Domo Polideportivo of Guatemala City, where they will close their performance on Thursday against the local team.

Every game from now on is crucial, understanding that only the first two of each group advance to the semifinals, and it is necessary to reach the final to obtain a ticket to the Women's World Cup in the Philippines 2025.