“We are proud to be here. [We are] well prepared and feel the responsibility, we have to advance to the knockout stage. The team is ready… We are not [World Cup] favorites, of course, but on a good day, we can achieve some good result,” Gomez told journalists.

He added that Iceland drawing with another favorite Argentina 1-1 on Saturday means “anything can happen” at the World Cup.

“There is not such a gap between Iceland and Argentina, as between Panama and Belgium, the gap between their levels is smaller… We can be an example for the future football generation in Panama. That’s the best thing that can happen in a life of a football player,” Gomez said.

Panama will play their first FIFA World Cup match at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi on Monday, they are also set to face England and Tunisia on 24 June and 28 respectively.