Ghana match Nigeria’s World Cup record with late victory over Panama

Ghana became the second African nation to record a victory at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after Caleb Yirenkyi’s dramatic stoppage-time goal secured a 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.

The Black Stars looked set to settle for a point in their Group L opener before Yirenkyi struck in the 95th minute, handing Carlos Queiroz’s side a priceless victory and continuing Africa’s encouraging start to the tournament.

The win came days after Côte d’Ivoire defeated Ecuador, giving the continent its second victory of the competition. Africa has also impressed with four draws against some of football’s biggest nations, with Cape Verde holding Spain, Morocco frustrating Brazil, Egypt sharing the spoils with Belgium, and DR Congo earning a creditable draw against Portugal.

While Algeria, South Africa, Tunisia and Senegal suffered narrow defeats in their opening matches, Africa’s overall performances have underlined the growing competitiveness of its representatives on the global stage.

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Panama created better chances for long periods against Ghana and nearly took the lead through Cecilio Waterman, but goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi produced an excellent save to keep the scores level. Jiovany Ramos and Cristian Martinez also came close as the Central Americans threatened to spoil Ghana’s World Cup return.

Queiroz, who became only the second coach after Bora Milutinovic to lead teams at five consecutive World Cups, turned to his bench in search of a breakthrough. The decision proved decisive.

Substitute Brandon Thomas-Asante burst into the penalty area deep into added time before squaring the ball for Yirenkyi, who calmly tapped home his first international goal to spark wild celebrations among the Ghanaian players and fans.

The victory places Ghana level on three points with England at the top of Group L and gives the Black Stars a strong platform heading into their remaining group matches.

The result also carried historical significance. Ghana’s sixth World Cup victory drew them level with Nigeria as the most successful African nations in World Cup matches. Remarkably, Ghana have achieved the feat in just 16 matches, compared to Nigeria’s 21.

After seeing Morocco go all the way to the semi-final at the last World Cup, the continent is seeking to make a deeper impact at this one as well.

It is gratifying to se that Africa’s representatives are no longer content with merely participating, they are increasingly competing and delivering results on football’s biggest stage.

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