Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz has showered praise on his players following Ghana’s dramatic 1-0 victory over Panama in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing the team as “warriors” who earned the result through determination, sacrifice, and intelligence.
Ghana left it late to secure all three points at BMO Field, with youngster Caleb Yirenkyi emerging as the hero by scoring a dramatic winner in the 95th minute after being set up by Brandon Thomas-Asante.
Speaking after the game, Queiroz commended his players for their fighting spirit and commitment on football’s biggest stage.
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“The players fought like warriors. To win at this level, you must sacrifice. A win at this World Cup is very expensive,” the Portuguese tactician said.
He added, “We battled like warriors and came back and won with brains.”
The victory has handed Ghana a perfect start to their Group L campaign and boosted the team’s confidence ahead of their next challenge.
However, forward Antoine Semenyo has urged his teammates to remain grounded and avoid getting carried away by the opening-day success.
The Manchester City striker acknowledged the magnitude of Ghana’s upcoming clash against England, who also began their World Cup journey with an impressive 4-2 victory over Croatia.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game,” Semenyo said.
“We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. We know we want to win that game, but it’s not going to be easy.
“So we have to make sure we recover well and train properly leading up to that weekend.”
The Black Stars will now shift their attention to the highly anticipated encounter with England in Boston before wrapping up their Group L fixtures against Croatia.