| AP |
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| Panama vs South Africa |
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Panama defeated South Africa 5-3 on penalty kicks Sunday to advance to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament after the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Panama will face neighboring Colombia on Thursday at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, while the United States will take on Honduras in the day's other semifinal match at the same venue.
Colombia, runners-up in the 2000 Gold Cup, defeated defending champs Mexico 3-2 in the first match of Sunday's doubleheader. Mexico, four-time Gold Cup champs, was without striker Jared Borgetti, who received two yellow cards in the last match of group play.
Panama is making just its second tournament appearance. The Central Americans returned home from the 1993 tourney without scoring a goal.
The hero of Sunday's match at Houston's Reliant Stadium was Panamanian keeper Jaime Penedo, who stopped a penalty kick by defender Ricardo Katza to secure the win.
Luis Tejada, Angel Rodriguez, Felipe Baloy, Alberto Blanco and Gabriel Gomez all converted their shots for Panama.
Jorge Luis Dely Valdes scored on Tejada's pass into the box to put Panama ahead 1-0 in the 48th minute.
For most of the match neither team was able to muster an attack or control possession of the ball as numerous passes went astray and forays around the box were quickly stifled.
A defensive lapse in the 68th minute by Panama's keeper Jaime Penedo gave South Africa the opening it needed as forward Lungisani Ndlela scored the equalizer.
Once again the match appeared to stall and a stalemate appeared inevitable as both sides seemed resolved to head to penalty kicks.
South Africa had the best chances to win the match in overtime when a direct kick by Philip Evans in the 112th minute struck the bar and Ndela's header in front of the net in the 119th minute bounced off the ground and passed just over the bar.
Miller Lite Man of the Match: Jorge Luis Dely Valdes, Panama
Lineups:
1. Panama: Jaime Penedo; Carlos Rivera, Anthony Torres, Felipe Baloy, Gustavo Guardia (Roman Torres, 100th min.); Gabriel Gomez, Alberto Blanco, Ricardo Phillips, Luis Henriquez (Angel Luis Rodriguez, 99th min.); Jorge Dely Valdes (Gustavo Avila, 104th min.) and Luis Tejada.
1. South Africa: Calvin Marlin; Lucky Lekgwathi, Ricardo Katza, Philip Evans; Lucas Thwala, Siboniso Gaxa, Daine Klate (Reagan Noble, 82nd min.), Siyabango Nomvete (Stanley Kgatle, 117th min.); Solace Nkosi, Lungisani Ndlela and Elrio Van Heerden (Abram Raselemane, 65th min.)
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