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World Cup 2018 power rankings

By James Dudko

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 13: Per Mertesacker of Germany holds the trophy a loft during the 2014 World Cup final match between Germany and Argentina at The Maracana Stadium on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 13: Per Mertesacker of Germany holds the trophy a loft during the 2014 World Cup final match between Germany and Argentina at The Maracana Stadium on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) /
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Panama’s Blas Perez (R) vies for the ball with Gareth McAuley from Northern Ireland during their international friendly football match between Panama and Northern Ireland at Rommel Fernandez Stadium on May 29, 2018 in Panama City. (Photo by RODRIGO ARANGUA / AFP) (Photo credit should read RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images)
Panama’s Blas Perez (R) vies for the ball with Gareth McAuley from Northern Ireland during their international friendly football match between Panama and Northern Ireland at Rommel Fernandez Stadium on May 29, 2018 in Panama City. (Photo by RODRIGO ARANGUA / AFP) (Photo credit should read RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images) /

30. Panama

A Panama squad aging in key areas will struggle to make waves in Group G. The Central American nation’s main players are all the wrong side of 30, including 36-year-old goalkeeper Jaime Penedo.

He will rely on 32-year-old center-back Roman Torres to hold together the defense in front of him. The Seattle Sounders ace is one of six stars from Major League Soccer included in this squad.

There are match-winners in the final third, though. Chief among them is 37-year-old forward Blas Diaz, a cool finisher who can be backed when one-on-one with a goalkeeper.

Diaz’s efforts will be supplemented by Gabriel Torres and Deportivo La Coruna man Ismael Diaz. This trio will all have to be on form if this squad is going to emerge from a group containing Belgium, England and Tunisia.

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