Ghana opened their Group L campaign with a 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto, but it took until the 95th minute to get there. Caleb forced home the winner from close range after a low cross from Brandon Thomas-Asante, giving Carlos Queiroz the exact kind of hard-earned result he later described as a win built on patience, suffering and strategy.

It was also, according to Sky Sports, the latest winning goal of the 2026 World Cup so far. That tells you plenty about the match itself. Ghana found a way through at the very end, not after dominating, but after surviving a game that stayed tight and awkward for most of the night.

Why Ghana were happy to play without the ball

Queiroz did not pretend his side had controlled Ghana vs Panama. He said as much afterwards, and his explanation matched what the game looked like.

Speaking to skysports.com, Queiroz said: "We battled like warriors. We won the game with our brains. First we had to suffer against a great team. They know how to play. We knew they would control the game. But step by step, our strategy was to let them come. This is the way to win."

That plan showed in the starting shapes. Ghana lined up in a 1-0-1-0, while Panama started in a 1-0-3. The contrast mattered. Panama were the side asking more of the questions for long spells, while Ghana's structure looked designed to stay compact and wait.

This is where the result becomes more interesting than the performance. Ghana did not play like a side trying to overwhelm the game early. Queiroz even said his team had no shot in a cautious first half. The manager's reading was blunt, and fair enough. This was not a night for smooth attacking football. It was a night for discipline, spacing and getting to the last 10 minutes still alive.

The defensive side of it held up well enough. Ghana kept a clean sheet, and Lawrence Ati Zigi was only required to make one save in open play. That does not mean Panama were harmless. It does suggest Ghana absorbed pressure without letting the match turn chaotic, which was central to the plan Queiroz described.

The decisive moment came from the bench

For all the tactical talk, the game was settled by a simple final action. Brandon Thomas-Asante, on as a substitute, drove a low cross into the area in stoppage time. Caleb was there to force the ball in from close range in the 95th minute.

That sequence matters because it captured the whole game in a few seconds. Ghana waited, stayed in it, then got the one clean break they needed. Thomas-Asante's contribution goes down as one assist, but it was a decisive one. Ghana's bench changed the result.

There is also a reason the spotlight lands on Caleb. He is 20, and while his match rating was 6.9 rather than spectacular, the winning goal settled everything. In a match this tight, the player who takes the one big late chance usually owns the story.

Others still had a role in how Ghana carried the threat. Antoine Semenyo was part of the attacking group in a game where openings were limited and timing mattered more than volume. But the final act belonged to the substitute creator and the young finisher.

What the result says about Ghana and Panama

There is not much dispute over the core facts of Ghana vs Panama. Ghana won 1-0, Caleb scored the goal, and Thomas-Asante provided the cross that created it. The debate, if there is one, sits around style rather than substance.

Some wins invite praise for fluency. This one does not. It was a cautious opener, and Panama spent periods on top. But Ghana do not need to apologise for that. In tournament football, especially in a first group game, a manager who gets the tactical balance right will take a late 1-0 every time.

For Panama, the frustration is obvious. Sky Sports noted they were chasing their first World Cup point at the fourth attempt, and they stayed in the contest deep into stoppage time before the game slipped away. For Ghana, the first entry in Group L is simple and valuable: one match, one clean sheet, three points, and a 95th-minute winner that came exactly when they needed it.

FAQ

Why did Ghana sit deep against Panama in World Cup Group L?

Carlos Queiroz said Ghana expected Panama to control the game and planned to let them come on step by step. Ghana started in a 4-4-1-1, spent long spells without control, and won 1-0 through a late break rather than sustained pressure.

Who scored the winner in Ghana vs Panama at the 2026 World Cup?

[Caleb](player:caleb) scored the only goal in the 95th minute as [Ghana](club:ghana) beat [Panama](club:panama) 1-0 in Toronto. The move was created by [Brandon Thomas-Asante](player:brandon-thomas-asante), whose low cross led directly to the finish.

Was Ghana dominant against Panama in Toronto?

No. The match was described as cautious and largely uneventful for long periods, with Panama asking more of the questions. Ghana had to absorb pressure and wait for the right moment, which is why Queiroz framed the result as a tactical, hard-earned win.

What made Caleb Yirenkyi's goal important in Ghana vs Panama?

The goal won the match in the 95th minute and gave Ghana a 1-0 opening victory in Group L. Sky Sports described it as the latest winning goal of the 2026 World Cup so far, which added extra weight to an already decisive moment.

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