Maquensi: I celebrated scoring against Brazil with all my soul

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Panama have made themselves mainstays at the FIFA Futsal World Cup™. Uzbekistan 2024, indeed, will mark their fourth participation in succession. It will also be the first global finals they will enter as continental kings. That is indebted to Alfonso Maquensi, who finished the Concacaf Futsal Championship in April with three goals and the Best Player award.

The 27-year-old discusses scoring against Brazil at Lithuania 2021, Panama being grouped with Morocco, Portugal and Tajikistan, and facing Pany Varela and Zicky.

Panama were unable to get a result at Lithuania 2021, but you did enjoy a great moment by scoring your first World Cup goal against no less than Brazil. What did that mean to you?
Alfonso Maquensi: It was a great feeling. Scoring against Brazil was wonderful and I enjoyed it to the fullest. I celebrated scoring that goal with my soul, and now I want to do the same thing in this World Cup and score a big goal for my country. In that moment when I scored the goal, I felt such immense joy. It was my first World Cup goal and I enjoyed every bit of it.

You were named the Best Player at the Concacaf Futsal Championship, which Panama won for the first time ever, in April. Is that a good sign for this World Cup?
That was a great achievement for us, and it was a nice honour for me on a personal level. To do something like that for my country, I needed all of the help of my team-mates. Winning that championship was our first time, so it was great for Panama and great for Central American futsal. I think winning a tournament like that has given us confidence for this World Cup. It’s an added plus. It gives us more hope going into the World Cup, because we know how to come back in matches now and overcome adversity. It will help us a lot.

This will be your second World Cup after debuting at Lithuania 2021. What do you expect this time around?
It’s really wonderful to be back in the World Cup and have a chance to play in it for a second time. It’s a challenge I’m ready to take on. The last World Cup did not go well for us, so we want things to be different this time. It’s a big challenge, but it is one that we will be ready to face.

How is preparation for the World Cup going?
It’s going well. We are here in Paraguay right now for a training camp, and have been focused a lot on our defensive work. We know that we are in a difficult group, so we are working hard on those defensive aspects and fitness.

Portugal, Morocco and Tajikistan… what are your overall thoughts on the three opponents?
With Portugal, it goes without saying what a team they are. They are the reigning world champions. Morocco are the African champions and Tajikistan are also a very tough team. Our objective is to reach the next round, but we can only go step by step. We will start against Portugal and then we have to go from there.

How motivating is it to go up against world-class players like Zicky and Pany Varela
Portugal have star players all over their squad. You mention Zicky and Pany Varela, but there is also Afonso Jesus. Playing against a team like that is a big responsibility, and so we are facing it with the focus and seriousness that it deserves.

What are the keys to Panama progressing from the group?
As I mentioned before, it’s a really tough group so it’s important that we play well against Portugal in the opening game. We need to start well and have a good game. After that we play Morocco, so we will be trying to get a result there, knowing that a win or draw would help us a lot. Then we finish against Tajikistan, and that is a game we have to win if we want to advance. We know that Portugal and Morocco are contenders for the title. They play so well, so we need to be at our best on those days.

You also represented Panama at FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017™. What was that experience like?
It was a very good experience for me. Not many players have been able to play both a Futsal and a Beach Soccer World Cup, so I’m glad I got the chance to do it. We had won the Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship that year and had a lot of ambition before the tournament. Unfortunately we weren’t able to advance, but it was still an important thing for me.

Do you have a preference between beach soccer or futsal?
Yes, it’s futsal for sure. That is what I am focused on right now. I am working my hardest to make sure Panama have a good performance at this Futsal World Cup.