Black Stars snatch last-gasp win in World Cup opener against Panama

Ghana began their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a dramatic late victory over Panama, scoring in stoppage time to secure all three points in their Group L opener at Toronto Stadium.

The Black Stars were under pressure for much of the match but showed determination and resilience before grabbing the winning goal through Caleb Yirenkyi after a quick counter-attack late in the game.

Panama started strongly and nearly went ahead within the first three minutes. A dangerous cross from Michael Murillo found Cecilio Waterman inside the penalty area, but goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi produced an excellent save from the striker’s powerful volley.

That chance set the tone for the first half as Panama enjoyed most of the possession and controlled large parts of the game.

The Central Americans moved the ball well and repeatedly pushed Ghana back into defensive positions.

Ghana struggled to find their rhythm and failed to record a shot on target before halftime.

Panama looked more threatening throughout the opening period but could not find a way past Ati-Zigi and the Ghana defence.

The Black Stars came out for the second half with greater energy and slowly began to put pressure on Panama’s backline.

The introductions of Abdul Fatawu Issahaku and Brandon Thomas-Asante changed the game, with both players bringing pace, creativity and urgency to Ghana’s attack.

Their impact immediately caused problems for Panama, forcing them to spend more time defending than they had during the first half.

Ghana came close to taking the lead when defender Jerome Opoku Adjetey rose highest from a corner kick, but his header went narrowly wide of the post.

As the match looked set to end in a draw, Ghana found the breakthrough in the closing moments.

A fast counter-attack caught Panama out of position. Thomas-Asante made an impressive run through midfield before playing a perfectly timed pass into the path of Yirenkyi.

The forward stayed calm and finished confidently to spark celebrations among the Ghana players and supporters.

It was a hard-earned victory for the Black Stars, who recovered from a difficult first-half performance to begin their World Cup campaign with an important win and three valuable points.