Bengaluru, Sept. 27 -- There are results that look good on the scoreboard. Then there are results whose significance becomes clearer when placed alongside everything that came before them.
India's 1-1 draw with Panama at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Friday belongs firmly in the latter category. By the measure of the FIFA World Ranking, the Blue Tigers had never before earneda result against an opponent ranked as high as Panama.
The Central Americans arrived in Bengaluru ranked 44th in the world, 94 places above 138th-ranked India. Ryan Williams' first-half goal and a disciplined yet adventurous team performance ensured that gap never translated onto the scoreboard.
In the FIFA World Ranking era, Panama are now the highest-ranked opposi...