Panama’s Barcenas wants to move forward after nervous World Cup start

Nizhny Novgorod (Russia), June 23 (IANS) Panama midfielder Edgar Barcenas on Saturday said his team wanted to move forward and put its 0-3 loss to Belgium behind it, after what he called a nervous start to their 2018 FIFA World Cup run.

Barcenas spoke at a press conference ahead of Panama's second Group G match against England on Sunday, which notched a last-minute 2-1 win over Tunisia in their opener, reports Efe.

He admitted his team had suffered from a bit of "stage fright" against Belgium, in what is Panama's second-ever trip to the World Cup, but said the defeat "remained in history" and that the team wanted to focus on facing the rest of a "difficult group."

"We've been analyzing videos from England and we're mentally prepared. I'm physically well to play a good match on Sunday," the Tijuana player added, saying the team was focused on coach Dario Gomez's strategic plan for the match.

On Saturday, Belgium secured a place in the World Cup knockout stage with a 5-2 win over Tunisia.

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