Caleb Yirenkyi became Ghana’s hero after scoring a dramatic late goal to give the Black Stars a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama in their opening Group L match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Toronto on Wednesday night.
The game appeared to be heading for a draw until Yirenkyi found the net in the 94th minute, giving Ghana all three points and a perfect start to their World Cup campaign.
Panama began the match strongly and almost scored within the first minute, but goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi made an excellent save to keep the score level. The Central Americans continued to enjoy most of the possession and controlled the pace of the game, while Ghana stayed compact and looked to attack on the counter.
The Black Stars found it difficult to create clear chances in the first half, with many of their attacks ending before they could trouble the Panama defence. Panama remained the more dangerous side and forced Ati-Zigi into several important saves, including three outstanding stops late in the opening half.
Ghana suffered a setback at halftime when Ati-Zigi, who had picked up an injury, was replaced by Benjamin Asare.
The Black Stars showed more attacking ambition after the break. Jonas Adjetey tested the Panama goalkeeper with a powerful header, while Jordan Ayew missed a great chance to score. Antoine Semenyo also saw a promising effort blocked.
As the game moved into its final moments, both teams searched for a winning goal. Ghana finally got the breakthrough deep into stoppage time when Brandon Thomas-Asante burst forward before passing the ball to Caleb Yirenkyi, who calmly finished to spark celebrations among Ghanaian fans.
The victory gives Ghana a major boost ahead of their remaining Group L matches and puts the Black Stars in a strong position to compete for a place in the knockout stage.
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