Queiroz's magic in the last second; Ghana crushed Panama's dream with a goal

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Sports Service: The national football teams of Ghana and Panama faced each other in the second match of Group L of the 2026 World Cup, starting at 03:30 this morning (Thursday, 18 Joza) Afghanistan time at the "BMO Field" stadium in Toronto, which ultimately ended with a 1-0 victory for Carlos Queiroz's team.

 

Panama started the game more aggressively and in the opening minutes went close to opening Ghana's goal, but Ghana goalkeeper Ati Zigi blocked Waterman's shot. The Panamanians continued to control the ball and the field, but failed to score the first goal of the match.

 

Carlos Queiroz's team in the Ghana national team also sought to use counterattacks, but they were unsuccessful in this regard and did not create any dangerous chances on the opponent's goal in the first half. The first half ended with a score of 0:0.

 

The second half began with a change of goalkeeper for Ghana, and Ati Zigi was replaced by Benjamin Asare due to injury. Ghana had a better performance in the second half than in the first half and was the better team. The team also created several good chances on the Panama goal, but they did not get anywhere.

 

While the game was heading towards a goalless draw and Panama was approaching its first ever point in the World Cup, Caleb Yernicki opened the Panama goal with a precise shot in the fifth minute of stoppage time of the second half, giving Ghana three valuable points of the game, ending Panama's dream of winning a point in its first appearance.

 

The match was refereed by Swedish referee Glen Nyberg, who showed yellow cards to Ghana's Caleb Yernicke and Panama's Cesar Blackman and Carlos Harvey.

 

In the first match of this group, England beat Croatia 4-2.

 

Caleb Yernicke, who scored the winning goal in the 90th minute, was a late hero for his team. "We believed until the last minute and knew we could score. This victory showed everyone that Ghana never gives up," he said in a post-match interview.

 

Ghana's Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, who has previously managed Iran and Portugal, showed with this victory that he still has his magic in critical moments.

 

On social media, Ghana fans have described the late victory as "African lions fighting to the end" and praised Queiroz for instilling a fighting spirit in the team. On the other hand, Panama fans have been left deeply disappointed by the injury-time loss, describing it as "a bitter defeat in history."