Khalid Jamil’s team put up a good fight before and after Ryan Williams’ brilliant goal in the 1-1 draw

Published on: Sep 25, 2026, 22:18:19 IST

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Bengaluru: At the end, a standing ovation. India soaked in the applause because Friday’s fighting 1-1 draw against Panama felt like a win. Twice in the 80th minute, they could have added to Ryan Williams’s 41st minute strike but first Edmund Lalrindika shanked the shot and then Manvir Singh overran Lalrindika’s pass. By then, Omar Valencia had got Panama level but even after that the winner could have come had Manvir, found by a combination of Pramveer and Sahal Abdul Samad, sorted his feet.

It was that kind of an evening. One where India showed fight, discipline and desire in spades against a team that at 44 was ranked 94 places above them in the world.

As the board went up showing two minutes of stoppage-time, the Panama team analyst, sitting near the media tribune, hurried to the locker room. Nearing the hour-mark, Thomas Christiansen was looking more animated than the Panama head coach had been all evening. Every step they took, every move they made, Panama were booed, Sree Kanteerava Stadium making up in volume what they lacked in numbers. “India, India” chants were getting louder. For the team from Central America, this was not going to script.

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Panama would go in as favourites, Christiansen had said at the pre-match media conference. That was like saying Bengaluru FC are from Bengaluru. And yet, till 68 minutes, they were trailing. Williams had struck and what a goal it was. If Akash Mishra has ever made a better pass with his right foot, few would have seen it. But there he was on a balmy evening, playing a 25-yard ball after Bijoy Varghese square-passed to Mishra and the left-back let fly.

It soared over Jones Cordoba, one of the World Cup players who had started, and found Williams. The Australian-born Indian ran with only goalkeeper Marcos Reyes to beat. Opening his body, Williams fired, his shot burying into the bottom corner. For one second, there was silence. Then, as Williams stood arms spread wide, the screams soared into the inky sky.

Throw-ins have worked for Khalid Jamil. It did in the CAFA Nations Cup and it did here on Friday in this international friendly. For his effort and for that goal, Williams got a pat from Christiansen when he was taken off. They know each other from Christianen’s time at Leeds United, the Panama coach had said on Thursday.

Notorious for its traffic, people streaming in near half-time in Bengaluru was perhaps not unusual. On the pitch, slightly greasy following spurts of rain, Panama were in a defensive phalanx and India’s high line caught striker Jimenez Ameth off-side twice. Players will need to take responsibility, head coach Khalid Jamil had said. At 138 in FIFA rankings and building a new team, Jamil would have been satisfied with what he saw.

Vikram Partap Singh’s delivery was ordinary but the wide right tracked back repeatedly to help Abhishek Singh Tekcham to contain Rafael Antonio Mosqeura. When Vikram was upfield, Williams stepped in. Anwar Ali cleared when Mosquera got through. When they tried from the right, skipper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu parried. Encapsulating India’s defensive show was the manner in which they stopped a Panama break following a Williams corner-kick, forcing Giovany Forcheney to circulate the ball by turning back.

Valencia scored from 25 yards, but that Panama were forced into long-rangers told its own story. One of them, from Cordoba, was from 30 yards and was parried away comfortably by Sandhu. The phlegmatic Jamil’s instructions seemed simple: go direct and work the wings through Akash Mishra, Ashique Kuruniyan and Vikram.

The desire showed when Manvir stole and found Williams in the 17th minute. Williams’s shot fizzed wide. That move had stemmed from a Sandhu kick that travelled nearly 75 metres. Sandhu, 34, is known for this: once he had given an assist for Sunil Chhetri, who was not missed. And that alone is saying a lot.

Panama rang in the changes at half-time, Valencia among them. They had started with only three of their 14 from the World Cup roster and the talismanic defender Michael Murillo was not one of them. The Besiktas right-back played in Major League Soccer for New York Red Bull before moving to Europe in 2020. This was his 98th international. Carlos Harvey and Adalberto Carrasquilla, both of them in the World Cup squad, followed. The boys had been given a run-out, now it was time for the men. Panama played further up the pitch, were denied once by the woodwork, but it was an even contest. And how often has that been said?

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