Caleb Yirenkyi scored a 95th-minute winner as Ghana left it late to beat Panama 1-0 and kickstart their Group L campaign with a much-needed victor
Caleb Yirenkyi scored a 95th-minute winner as Ghana left it late to beat Panama 1-0 and kickstart their Group L campaign with a much-needed victory, handing Carlos Queiroz a winning start to his reign as Black Stars head coach.
For long stretches at Toronto Stadium, a breakthrough looked unlikely.
Panama nearly made the perfect start when Amir Murillo’s cross was met first time by Cecilio Waterman, only for Lawrence Ati Zigi to react quickly and push the ball clear inside the opening two minutes.
That early scare proved the closest either side came to scoring in the first half, with Jiovany Ramos firing over for Panama and Elisha Owusu’s effort drifting wide for Ghana as the half petered out.
Remarkably, Ghana failed to register a single shot on target before the interval, managing just one attempt in total — matching the lowest first-half tally by any team so far in this tournament
The second period brought more urgency from the Black Stars, with Antoine Semenyo growing into the game as their chief creative spark.
Defender Jonas Adjetey, of all people, emerged as Ghana’s biggest set-piece threat, registering the team’s first shot on target and later heading narrowly wide from a corner.
Even so, clear-cut chances remained scarce, and a goalless draw looked the probable outcome deep into the closing stages.
Substitute Brandon Thomas-Asante changed that. The Coventry City forward, fresh off helping his club back into the Premier League, drove at the Panama defence down the left flank in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, beat his marker and slid a low ball across the face of goal.
Yirenkyi stretched to stab it home from close range, sending Ghana’s bench and supporters into delirium.
At 20 years and 153 days old, Yirenkyi became the second-youngest player ever to score for Ghana at a World Cup, behind only Draman Haminu’s strike against the USA in 2006.
Panama responded almost instantly. A late free kick was flung into the box, and goalkeeper Mosquera surged forward to win the first header, knocking it down for Ismael Díaz to nod goalwards, but substitute goalkeeper Benjamin Asare reacted sharply to gather amid a goalmouth scramble.
Tempers flared in the chaos that followed, with Harvey booked for Panama as the final whistle approached.
The result lifts Ghana to second in Group L after England’s 4-2 win over Croatia in the day’s other fixture, while Panama remain rooted at the bottom.
The defeat means Panama have now lost all four matches they have ever played at a World Cup, conceding in every single one.
For Ghana, the win was built on resilience rather than fluency, but Queiroz will take the three points and the manner of the victory as an early marker of his side’s spirit.
Jordan Ayew, meanwhile, continued his own piece of history, becoming only the fourth man to represent Ghana across three different World Cups. Both nations now turn their attention to a pivotal second round of fixtures in Group L, where Ghana will face England on Tuesday.
Panama will meet Croatia in a make-or-break game for both sides.
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