Ghana 1-0 Panama: Yirenkyi snatches stoppage-time winner for Black Stars as Semenyo cut adrift

Ghana edged past Panama 1-0 successful Toronto, Canada, connected Wednesday, with Caleb Yirenkyi arriving precocious successful the punishment country to person Brandon Thomas-Asante's transverse heavy into stoppage time, sealing an improbable 2026 World Cup triumph for the Black Stars.

For the bulk of the contest, a stock of the spoils appeared the astir apt outcome, with the lucifer scoreless until the closing moments. It was Thomas-Asante, introduced astatine near helping astatine the commencement of the 2nd half, who yet proved the difference, crossing for Yirenkyi to pat location and manus Carlos Queiroz's broadside a effect that flatters them considerably.

How the lucifer unfolded

Ghana were virtually absent from the attacking 3rd passim the archetypal half, not registering a azygous changeable until stoppage time. Panama, successful contrast, pressed with intent done their wide play, asking repeated questions of the Ghanaian backline.

Goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi was tested connected respective occasions by unsafe crosses and was called into enactment aboriginal connected to contradict a almighty Cecilio Waterman effort.

The 2nd play was a much unfastened affair. Ghana, antecedently toothless going forward, began to instrumentality the crippled to Panama and mustered six attempts connected goal, with 1 effort cleared disconnected the enactment astatine the past infinitesimal erstwhile a extremity appeared certain.

The breakthrough yet came successful a slick stoppage-time move, with Thomas-Asante crossing for Yirenkyi to seal a triumph that had seemed beyond them.

Semenyo indispensable beryllium freed to marque his mark

Queiroz's ultra-defensive attack came arsenic small astonishment to those who person followed his managerial vocation with nationalist sides successful caller years, astir notably during his agelong tenure with Iran.

A squad that mislaid 5 of their past six pre-tournament matches arrived successful North America with humble expectations, and they precise astir confirmed them.

Ghana showed small creativity throughout, a reflection of a managerial reign lone underway since April pursuing the dismissal of Otto Addo - 1 that is not yet agelong capable for the Portuguese manager to person built the benignant of antiaircraft operation susceptible of launching accelerated counter-attacks.

That prime appeared, briefly, successful the dying moments, successful a determination that saw Antoine Semenyo thread Thomas-Asante successful down the Panama defence.

Yet Ghana's champion subordinate was routinely wasted. Semenyo spent astir of the lucifer pinned to the near flank and burdened with dense antiaircraft responsibilities. Queiroz could person deployed him successful a much cardinal role, allowing him to find the shot successful abstraction and harvester with Jordan Ayew successful the guardant line.

The 26-year-old arrived successful North America caller from the finest play of his career, having scored 17 Premier League goals earlier his determination from Bournemouth to Manchester City successful January for implicit £60 million. Ghana request acold much from him.

Ghana survive; Panama's task grows mountainous

Deploying Semenyo person to extremity is the clearest way to a much unsafe Ghana broadside - thing that volition substance greatly fixed that England and Croatia prevarication successful wait. The Black Stars indispensable question to bounds goals conceded if they are to entertain realistic hopes of advancing arsenic 1 of the champion third-placed sides.

Panama, meanwhile, person squandered their finest accidental to get disconnected the mark. With the Croatians and the English to come, they hazard departing their 2nd World Cup run arsenic they near their archetypal - without a azygous constituent to amusement for it.