Panama World Cup team profile: Guide to record, manager, national anthem, latest odds and star man

PANAMA have qualified for their first World Cup finals after 40 years of trying.

The tiny Central American country's dramatic 2-1 win over Costa Rica sparked wild scenes - and they will be keen to give some of the big boys (and England) something to think about in Russia.

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Here's all you need to know...

In a nutshell: Tiny Central American nation, famous for its canal, that has finally booked its debut place in the World Cup Finals after 40 years of trying.

Flag: One flag, four quarters. One quarter’s red, one is blue with the other two being white with a red star and a blue star in it. Unusual.

Population: 4 million.

Nickname: Take your pick from Los Canaleros (The Canal Men) or La Marea Roja (The Red Tide).

We prefer the latter. It’s more intimidating.

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Manager: World Cup specialist Hernan Dario Gomez has replicated the trick he pulled with Colombia in 1998 and Ecuador in 2002 by taking unfancied Panama to the finals.

Captain: Veteran defender Felipe Baloy.

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Star Man: Striker Luis Tejada, who plays his club football for the brilliantly-named Sport Boys in the Peruvian First Division, will be 36 by the time the Finas come around but his eye for goal remains as keen as ever.

He’s scored 43 in 104 games for The Red Tide. They call him ‘The Matador’.

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Rising Star: The right-back Michael Murillo. A defender for the New York Red Bulls, this 21-year- old has already racked up 19 caps and two goals for his country.

Most caps: Gabriel Gomez (140).

All-time top scorer: The afore-mentioned Luis Tejada (43).

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Nice kit? Made by New Balance, it’s predominantly red with blue on the shoulders.

They did have a rather natty blue one for last year’s Gold Cup though and that could yet make a reappearance.

Most offensive haircut? Roman Torres’ is not offensive but innovative and, for that matter, ever-changing.

He’s moved from closely cropped to Afro and now has dreadlocks with dyed tips.

Any names we can laugh at like kids? A couple.

There’s Roberto Nurse and Roland Blackburn, or ‘Tony’ as he’s known in the dressing room.

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Rivals? Panama’s rivalry with Mexico is a bit like England’s with Germany in that they get really wound up about it but the Mexicans couldn’t give a tortilla about it.

National anthem: Himno Istemeno (Isthmian Hymn) is an ode the working class of Panama, hence lyrics like these…

Sample lyric:
Ahead the shovel and pick,
At work without any more dilation,
and we will be as such at work and gala
of this fruitful world of Columbus.

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National dish: It’s Sancocho, a popular soup-cum- stew in Latin countries.

Sorry, that made it sound gross, didn’t it?

National drink: Beer might be the most popular bevy in Panama but the national drink is seco.

It’s a transparent spirit distilled from sugar cane.

Chuck it in a cocktail. It goes with most things.

World Cup Finals Record: n/a

World Cup Win Ratio: n/a

Best World Cup performance: n/a

FIFA World Ranking: 53

Path to Final: Even qualifying for the last 16 seems very ambitious, but if they do get through they could face any of Senegal, Poland, Japan and near neighbours Colombia in round two.

Brazil await in an unlikely quarter-final if Panama have qualified as group winners with Germany the likely opponents if they make it through as runners-up.

A potential semi-final could see them face France or Portugal if they make it through as group winners with Spain or Argentina the likely opponents if they qualify as runners-up.