Jordan Ayew Starts as Ghana V Panama Opens in Toronto

Ghana v Panama opened in Toronto with Jordan Ayew, Antoine Semenyo and Lawrence Ati-Zigi in Ghana’s starting lineup. The match kicked off at 7pm local time, with the game staged at the smallest venue in this Cup even after 17,000 temporary seats were added.

Ayew led Ghana out as captain and started after reaching 34 goals in 120 appearances for his country. Ghana lined up with Ati-Zigi, Mensah, Adjetey, Opoku, Senaya, Yirenkyi, Owusu, Semenyo, Sulemana, Nuamah and Ayew against a Panama side led by Aníbal Godoy.

Ghana’s lineup in Toronto

Lawrence Ati-Zigi began in goal, with Gideon Mensah, Abdul Manaf Nurudeen, Adu, Senaya and Yirenkyi among the names in the starting group. Elisha Owusu and Marvin Senaya both brought club familiarity from Auxerre, while Ernest Nuamah started in attack after moving through the French game with Lyon.

Jordan Ayew’s place drew the most attention. He entered the match as Ghana’s captain, and his 34 goals in 120 appearances gave the lineup an experienced focal point against Panama’s defense.

Thomas Partey misses Canada

Thomas Partey was not allowed to cross the border into Canada and was unavailable for Ghana. Mohammed Kudus and Mohammed Salisu were also absent from the Ghanaian roster because of injury, leaving Ghana to reshape its selection before kickoff.

That narrowed the available options around Ayew and Semenyo. The match came in Group L, where Ghana are also drawn with England and Croatia, and every lineup call mattered before the tournament’s opening rhythm could settle.

Panama and Toronto venue

Panama arrived with Michael Murillo leading the defense and Adalberto Carrasquilla supplying creativity behind Godoy’s captaincy. The opposition carried its own recent World Cup history too, having reached Russia 2018 for its first finals appearance.

The setting added another layer. Toronto’s venue was described as the smallest in the Cup, even after 17,000 temporary seats were added, and that compressed environment gave this opener a tighter edge than the location alone suggested.

For Ghana, the immediate answer was clear: Ayew starts, Semenyo starts, and the squad has to manage without Partey, Kudus and Salisu while facing a Panama team built around Murillo, Carrasquilla and Godoy. The lineup told the story before the first whistle.