At the start of the World Cup, Ghana managed its mandatory task in Group L with difficulty and secured a very late victory against outsiders Panama in a long, uneventful duel.
In the 1-0 (0-0) win in Toronto, Caleb Yirenkyi scored the goal of the day in the fifth minute of stoppage time. A win in the direct duel against Panama was of enormous importance for Ghana in the fight for third place in Group L because the other group opponents are England and Croatia.
Panama, on the other hand, also missed out on winning their first point in their second World Cup participation. After the late blow against Ghana, reaching the knockout phase will now be a Herculean task for the “Canaleros”.
Panama determines the initial phase
Ghana went into the game as a slight favorite due to their individual class, but the long-time World Cup guests had a huge crisis before the tournament: missed the Africa Cup, the last six games without a win and the resignation of coach Otto Addo in March after the friendly defeat against Germany – there were already better signs before a World Cup. Especially since midfielder Thomas was also missing after being refused entry to Canada. And the Ghanaians almost made a false start to the game in Toronto. Keeper Ati Zigi brushed aside Waterman’s first dangerous shot from the “Canaleros” (2nd).
Panama continued to play better and impressed with clever build-up play with repeated vertical lateral shifts. Ghana hardly had any access and were usually a step or two too late – as was the case in the twelfth minute, when Waterman narrowly missed a cross again. Indicative of the balance of power at this point: Ghana had the chance to counterattack immediately afterwards, but Panama’s defense cooled down the advance on the right side quite calmly.
Ghana is disappointing offensively across the board
Until the first drinking break, not much happened in the pouring rain in Toronto. Panama controlled the game, but didn’t know what to do offensively with the increased possession of the ball. At Ghana, Partey’s impetus as a strategist and source of ideas in midfield was noticeably missing. There were no scenes in the goal area on either side, the game dragged along until the 34th minute, before there was a little excitement again because Martinez fell against Opoku in the penalty area. But that wasn’t enough for a penalty.
And yet Ghana was able to live better with the draw at half-time than their opponents. Especially offensively, the “Black Stars” were disappointing across the board in the first 45 minutes and didn’t manage a single shot on goal. In the second half, keeper Ati Zigi also had to be replaced with an injury. The four-time African champion then improved and came out of the locker room with more momentum. In the 48th minute it finally became dangerous, but Wolfsburg’s Adjetey’s header landed directly in the arms of Mosquera.
Panama also remains too imprecise in its conclusion
However, the Panamanians still had the better game and acted more decisively in the duels. Only in the last third of the attack was it either played too complicated or lacked precision. This was also the case after almost an hour, when Martinez was very close to scoring the opening goal, but his shot in the right penalty area was decisively pushed aside and only hit the side netting. A little later, Blackman’s attempt from the left was far too imprecise.
Jordan Ayew shields the ball
Ghana was now able to make things more balanced and had the best chance of the game so far after 65 minutes: Panama’s Ramos slid a low cross into the touchline just in time for Asante. Shortly afterwards, the central defender was the focus again, but his long-range shot on the other side just missed the left post. Ghana was lucky that a foul by Yirenkyi on Cordoba in the penalty area was not punished. The VAR also did not intervene in the action, although Yirenkyi had clearly thrown his opponent out of step.
Yirenkyi redeems Ghana very late
Slowly but surely the balance of power shifted. Ghana was now able to generate significantly more pressure and came closer and closer to the opening goal. Adjetey put the ball just past the left post after a pinpoint Ayew free kick (73′). Panama, on the other hand, found it more and more difficult as the game went on and made life difficult for themselves by losing the ball a few times. Nevertheless, the enemy’s attacks were successfully repelled for a long time.
Only deep into stoppage time, when everything already looked like a goalless draw, did Ghana finally strike: the eye-catching Asante went past Cordoba on the left, kept track of things and passed a low pass into the middle, where Yirenkyi pushed the ball over the line. Panama actually had a chance to equalize, but keeper Asare, who came on as a substitute at half-time, parried a header from close range and held on to the late, but not undeserved, victory for the “Black Stars”.
outlook
Ghana continues against England in Foxborough on Tuesday (10 p.m. CEST live on ARD and in the Sportschau live stream). Thomas Tuchel’s team underlined their ambitions with a 4-2 win in the top duel in Group L against Croatia. The Croatians will be Panama’s next opponents again in Toronto on Wednesday (1 a.m. CEST).