India Hold World Cup Side Panama to a 1-1 Draw in Bengaluru

India drew 1-1 with Panama, a side that played at this summer's World Cup, in a friendly at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday night. It was the first time the two teams had met at senior level.

Ryan Williams gave India the lead in the 41st minute, running past defender Jose Cordoba onto a chip from Akash Mishra and finishing past the Panama goalkeeper. Omar Valencia equalised with a long-range strike just after the hour mark.

The result carries weight because of the gap between the sides. India went into the match ranked 138th and Panama 44th, a difference of 94 places, and Panama had come through World Cup qualifying unbeaten before being drawn in a group with England, Croatia and Ghana.

It also ended a difficult stretch. Pre-match previews noted that Khalid Jamil's team had not won since a 2-1 victory over Hong Kong on 31 March.

India stay in the spotlight for the rest of the window: Brazil, ranked fifth in the world, visit Kolkata on 3 October, and Uruguay follow there on 6 October.