By Sachit Subba • Football • Jun 18, 2026 03:18 AM • 200 views
SUBHEADING: Despite losing starting goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi to injury at the break, the Black Stars weathered a first-half storm to snatch a vital 1-0 victory in Toronto.
TORONTO — World Cup victories are rarely cheap, but they are exceptionally sweet when bought with the final kick of the match. Deep into stoppage time, with the biting Toronto chill settling over a lively BMO Field, Caleb Yirenkyi etched his name into Ghanaian football folklore by tapping home a 95th-minute winner to secure a gruelling 1-0 victory over a heartbroken Panama on Wednesday.
The match-defining moment arrived on a textbook counter-attack. Brandon Thomas-Asante surged into Panamanian territory and slid a pinpoint pass across the penalty area. Yirenkyi timed his run perfectly and applied the decisive touch for his first competitive international goal. The strike instantly turned the sea of yellow-clad Ghanaian supporters into a roaring block party.
"I got the ball in the box, and I finished it there," a breathless Yirenkyi remarked post-match, summarising a moment of pure instinct that completely alters the complexion of Group L.
A Tale of Two Halves
For much of the evening, it seemed the African heavyweights would have to settle for less. Panama’s red-shirted fans fueled a side that played with energy and tactical clarity, often unravelling Ghana’s shape. Christiansen’s team controlled the tempo and dominated possession, but their recurring Achilles' heel—a lack of ruthlessness in the final third—left them empty-handed. The result echoed their 2018 debut, and now Los Canaleros face an uphill battle to escape the group stage.
"The result is painful, but that is because we deserved better," Panama manager Thomas Christiansen lamented. "We controlled the first half, but in the second half, we played their game a bit more. That's not how we wanted to play, but now is not the time for regrets."
Ghana’s early survival was almost entirely down to Lawrence Ati Zigi. The starting goalkeeper was an imperial presence under the high ball, and he single-handedly kept Panama at bay while his teammates failed to register a single shot on Orlando Mosquera’s goal during the opening 45 minutes.
Injury Blow and Bizarre Backdrops
However, Ati Zigi’s heroic shift ended abruptly. He suffered a heavy collision late in the first half and needed extensive treatment. Unable to return after the interval, Benjamin Asare came on, thrown straight into the furnace of a World Cup debut.
The second half unfolded against a bizarre backdrop. Steady rain fell on Ontario. Twice, the stadium erupted in boos when officials called for hydration breaks—the irony clear as spectators shivered.
Panama seized on Ghana's goalkeeper substitution, throwing everything forward. They thought they had found a breakthrough when Cristian Martinez went down under a challenge from Jerome Opoku inside the box, but the referee waved away the frantic penalty appeals.
Moments later, Martinez came agonisingly close again, finding space at a tight angle in the 60th minute only to lash his close-range effort into the side-netting.
Queiroz’s Grit Rewards the Black Stars
As the game opened up, Carlos Queiroz’s tactical adjustments took effect. The Black Stars found their stride, turning the contest into an end-to-end battle. Jonas Adjetey forced an acrobatic save from Mosquera with a powerful header. Only a last-ditch interception from Panama’s Jiovany stopped Jordan Ayew from converting a low cross from Thomas-Asante.
When Yirenkyi finally broke the deadlock with a goal in the dying seconds, pure emotion erupted from the Ghanaian technical bench. At the final whistle, Queiroz marched straight onto the pitch and pumped his fists toward the raucous section of African supporters, who had provided the soundtrack to the night.
"I am tired. This was a really intense game," Queiroz admitted afterwards. "The wins in this World Cup are very expensive. Our players have shown they are ready to pay high prices for the win."
The road only gets steeper from here, but the horizons are brightening for the Black Stars. Ghana can look forward to welcoming back talismanic midfielder Thomas Partey when they head to Boston on June 23 for a blockbuster clash against England. Meanwhile, Panama must dust itself off quickly before returning to Toronto to face Croatia in a must-win encounter.
