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Waterman ripped off his jersey and hurdled the advertising end boards before climbing up onto a broadcast stage to celebrate with Thierry Henry, who looked just as stunned as the rest of the crowd at SoFi Stadium.
Thierry Henry celebrating Panama’s injury-time winner with the players (X)
Cecilio Waterman scored a stunning goal in the fourth minute of second-half injury time, and Panama beat the three-time defending champion United States 1-0 on Thursday night to reach the CONCACAF Nations League final.
Waterman took a pass down the right side from Adalberto Carrasquilla in front of a packed-in U.S. defense and fired a perfect right-footed diagonal shot past Matt Turner into the far left corner. Waterman’s 11th international goal, on Panama’s only shot on target on the night, advanced the Panamanians to a final Sunday against Mexico.
“Many good things have happened to me in my career, but this one is different,” Waterman said. “This one was incredible.”
Waterman, a 33-year-old striker who plays professionally in Chile, ripped off his jersey and hurdled the advertising end boards before climbing up onto a broadcast stage to celebrate with Thierry Henry, who looked just as stunned as the rest of the crowd at SoFi Stadium.
“You are my idol!” Waterman repeatedly shouted in Spanish before hugging Henry, an Arsenal great.
Waterman took his own step toward idol status as Panama beat the U.S. for the third straight time in competitive matches, following wins in a 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal and the group stage of last year’s Copa America.
Coach Thomas Christiansen’s club has repeatedly exceeded expectations during his tenure, and this victory was only the latest remarkable achievement for Los Canaleros, who beat Costa Rica on the road last November in the Nations League quarterfinals.
“This is the third time we have been in this position,” Waterman said. “This time, we want to give that gift to Panama. We want to achieve something for them, for Central America.”
The loss at a half-empty SoFi Stadium was a big stumble for U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino, who replaced Gregg Berhalter six months ago after the Americans’ first-round exit at the Copa America.
“I’m very disappointed, because I don’t think the way we approached the game was the right way,” Pochettino said. “The first half, I think we played too slow. We didn’t show aggression with the ball, and the consequence not to show aggression with the ball, we also didn’t show aggression in a defensive way.”
For the first time, the CONCACAF Nations League trophy won’t stay in the U.S. The Americans won the first three editions of this tournament, which only began in 2019.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)