Ghana's Caleb Yirenkyi celebrates scoring the game's lone goal against Panama on Wednesday in Toronto.KEVIN SOUSA/Reuters
Ghana left it late, striking in stoppage time to edge Panama 1-0 in Group L play at the World Cup on Wednesday.
Caleb Yirenkyi’s 95th-minute goal came on a rapid-fire counter-attack with substitute Brandon Thomas-Asante racing down the left flank and beating a defender before sending a low cross in front of goal for Yirenkyi to knock home.
Manchester City star Antoine Semenyo played his part in the goal from just inside the Ghana half, sending Thomas-Asante on his way with an accurate pass.
Semenyo then raced towards goal, pulling in defenders and the attention of goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera. The ball bypassed all of them, finding Yirenkyi at the far post for a tap-in.
Semenyo, who joined Manchester City from Bournemouth in January in a transfer deal worth a reported £65-million, had been mostly quiet the rest of the evening .
Stationed on the left flank, Semenyo was often isolated and got little service. He eventually moved to a more central position in a bid to see more of the ball.
There had been plenty of back and forth, especially as the clock wound down, revving up both sets of fans. But while Panama, ranked 40th in the world, showed more in attack than No. 65 Ghana, both lacked teeth up front.
Ghana came on late, however, and eventually broke the deadlock.
Panama's Jose Fajardo looks dejected after Caleb Yirenkyi's goal for Ghana in the fifth minute of stoppage time on Wednesday in Toronto.Benoit Tessier/Reuters
Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said his team had to suffer en route to the win.
“We knew Panama is a wonderful team. Very well-organized,” said the 73-year-old Portuguese, who is coaching at his fifth straight World Cup.
But Ghana kept going, he added.
“From step to step, we started to impose our game,” he said.
Having led the dance for most of the game, Panama will rue the result. Panama had 62 percent possession and an 11-7 edge in shots (4-2 in shots on target).
Ghana, meanwhile, collects three much-needed points with two tough opponents to come.
No. 4 England downed No. 14 Croatia 4-2 earlier Wednesday in Arlington, Texas, in the other Group L game.
Panama coach Thomas Christiansen liked his team’s first half but said there are lessons to learn.
“In a short tournament like the World Cup, mistakes are costly,” he said.
The game was the second of six scheduled for BMO Field, which has been rebranded as Toronto Stadium during the tournament due to sponsorship issues. Attendance was announced at 42,942.
It was a festive atmosphere on a cool evening with yellow-clad Ghanaian fans and Panama supporters in red fully invested in their teams. While Panama had the edge in numbers, the Ghanaians scored points with their singing and synchronized moves in the upper north stand.
Both sets of supporters combined for a loud soundtrack to kickoff. Chants of “Ole, Ole, Ole” followed, echoing around the lakefront stadium like a giant wave.
The game started in high gear with Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi called into action in the second minute, making an acrobatic save to deny Cecilio Waterman.
Light rain began to fall midway through the first half, bringing new meaning to the hydration break. The fans booed the pause in the action, with the temperature hovering around 19 C.
Panama appealed unsuccessfully for a penalty in the 35th minute when Cristian Martínez went down in the Ghana box.
While scoring chances were scarce, Panama led the dance for the first half. Ghana, meanwhile, struggled to unlock a well-organized Panama defence when it got to that end of the pitch.
Ghana’s first attempt on goal came late in the first half and ended up closer to the corner flag than the goal. Panama was credited with three attempts on goal, including one on target, in the first 45 minutes.
Ghana changed ‘keepers at the start of the second half with Benjamin Asare, the lone domestic-based player in the squad, coming on. Ghana brought on forwards Abdul Fatawu and Thomas-Asante near the hour mark in a bid to find some offence.
Both teams continued to struggle on attack with Martínez’s shot for Panama slamming into the side netting from close range. But Ghana came close in the 65th minute, with veteran forward Jordan Ayew denied by a sliding clearance from a Panamanian defender.
All 11 Ghanaian starters play their club football in Europe.
The Panama starters also play abroad, from Saudi Arabia to Turkey. Star midfielder Adalberto (Coco) Carrasquilla, who plays in Mexico for Pumas, started on the bench due to a muscle injury.
Antoine Semenyo shimmers as Ghana gets liftoff
Ghana was without Thomas Partey, who was denied access to Canada. The 33-year-old former Arsenal midfielder, now a teammate of Canadians Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi at Spain’s Villarreal, faces seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in Britain. He has denied the charges.
Ghana’s appeal to lift the Partey ban was denied Tuesday by a federal court in Ottawa.
Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz celebrates his team's win over Panama.Dan Mullan/Getty Images
Queiroz led Portugal in 2010 at the World Cup in South Africa and Iran in 2014, 2018 and 2022 in Brazil, Russia and Qatar, respectively. He helped South Africa qualify for the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan but left before the tournament began.
The five consecutive tournaments match the record set by Bora Milutinovic from 1986 to 2002, at the helm of five different national teams. Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira appeared at a record six World Cups as a coach, but not successively.
Ghana is appearing at its fifth World Cup, having made the round of 16 in its first trip in 2006 and the quarter-finals in 2010. It failed to reach the knockout rounds in 2014 and ’18.
It’s a second World Cup for Panama. Los Canaleros (The Canal Men) debuted in 2018, failing to survive the group stage after losses to Belgium, England and Tunisia.
Both teams are back in action June 23 when Panama faces Croatia in Toronto and Ghana meets England in Boston.