Caleb Yirenkyi tapped home a dramatic 95th-minute winner to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory for Ghana against Panama in their Group L opener.

The buzzer-beater strike at Toronto Stadium gave Carlos Queiroz’s Black Stars a crucial three points, cruelly denying Los Canaleros their first-ever FIFA World Cup™ point after a resilient defensive display.

Charmed Life for the Black Stars

Panama looked the more dangerous side for long stretches of the match and created multiple opportunities to break the deadlock:

• First-Half Threat: Winger Amir Murillo sent a low cross to Cecilio Waterman, whose first-time effort forced a spectacular diving save from Ghanaian keeper Lawrence Ati Zigi.
• Missed Opportunity: A poor punched clearance from Ati Zigi fell directly to Jiovany Ramos, but the Panamanian defender blazed his shot over the crossbar.
• Second-Half Close Call: Cristian Martínez collected a loose ball inside the penalty area, executing a clever shimmy to beat his marker before flashing a powerful shot into the side netting.

Tactical Shifts Pay Off

Carlos Queiroz—now coaching at a joint-record fifth consecutive World Cup—made a decisive double substitution just before the hour mark. The tactical shift almost paid immediate dividends when substitute Brandon Thomas-Asante sprinted down the right wing and squared the ball to Jordan Ayew. However, Panama’s Ramos recovered just in time to pull off a crucial, goal-saving tackle.

The Stoppage-Time Heartbreak

With both teams seemingly resigned to a goalless draw deep into stoppage time, Ghana launched one final attack:

• Thomas-Asante was set free down the left wing and drove aggressively into the penalty box.
• He squared a perfectly weighted pass across the face of the goal.
• Caleb Yirenkyi met the ball perfectly, tapping it in to register his first-ever international goal and spark wild Ghanaian celebrations.

Group L Standings