Match report
Ghana 1-0 Panama: Yirenkyi's Late Winner Reshapes Group L
For most of the night in Toronto, Group L's second match looked destined to finish scoreless. Then Ghana found one decisive late move. Caleb Yirenkyi's stoppage-time finish gave Ghana a 1-0 win over Panama and turned the group into an early split behind England.
Ghana vs Panama final score
Final score: Ghana 1, Panama 0. Yirenkyi scored in stoppage time after Brandon Thomas-Asante supplied the final ball, giving Ghana the kind of late winner that can change an entire group-stage campaign.
The Guardian's live report described Panama as the sharper side early on, with Lawrence Ati-Zigi making important saves before the Ghana goalkeeper was forced off at halftime after an injury scare. Ghana gradually found more pressure, and that late push finally produced the breakthrough.
That leaves Ghana with the full reward from a match that had looked headed for a draw and a much flatter Group L table.
How Group L changed
Group L now has England first on three points with a +2 goal difference after beating Croatia 4-2, and Ghana second on three points with a +1 difference after this late win.
Panama are third on zero points with a -1 goal difference, while Croatia are fourth on zero with -2. That means Yirenkyi's late goal did more than add points. It also pushed Panama behind on the first tiebreaker before the second round has even started.
The group therefore already has a top-half and bottom-half split after one match each.
Qualification picture
Ghana's next match against England is now the obvious Group L control game. A win would send Ghana to six points and very close to the round of 32; even a draw would keep them in a strong position heading into the final round.
Panama vs Croatia already feels like a high-pressure second fixture for both teams. Another defeat would leave either side needing outside help as well as a final-day result, even with the best-third-place route still available.
Ghana therefore did exactly what opening rounds are supposed to do for outsiders with ambition: they stayed attached to first place and pushed the recovery pressure onto someone else.
Key players and talking points
Yirenkyi takes the headline because stoppage-time winners are remembered differently from ordinary goals, and Thomas-Asante deserves equal mention for creating the decisive chance.
Ati-Zigi's halftime exit is the one clear fitness note carried across the source coverage. Until Ghana provide a fuller update, this report treats it as an in-match concern rather than a confirmed longer-term absence.
No reliable major disciplinary flashpoint was confirmed across the sources reviewed, so the verified story is the late winner, the rainy stop-start match and Ghana's move into second place.