Jerome Opoku was part of a Ghana side that needed the 95th minute to beat Panama 1-0 and move to first place in Group L. Panama were left without their first World Cup point, while Ghana now head into Tuesday’s meeting with England with control of the group race.
Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz did not dress it up after the match. Speaking to ITV, the Ghana boss said: “First we had to suffer, we battled like warriors. We won the game with the brains.”
He also said: “First half was to suffer against a great team.” and added of Panama: “They know how to play, they know how to do things.”
Queiroz then explained the plan that carried Ghana through the game: “We knew that they would control the game but step-by-step this was our strategy to let them come and start to make the control until we scored because this is the way to win. Win all the time.”
Panama forced Ghana deep
That route to victory matters because Ghana were outplayed in the first half. Panama controlled enough of the match to keep Ghana chasing, and the game only tilted after Ghana brought on a couple of quality substitutes in the second half.
Efan Ekoku said Ghana always looked the stronger side after those changes. The shift did not show immediately on the scoreboard, but it changed the feel of the match long before the decisive finish arrived.
Group L turns to England
The 95th-minute winner moved Ghana into first place in Group L and left England second. That puts Tuesday’s meeting at 21:00 BST into sharp focus, because the winner will be guaranteed a place in the last 32 with a game to spare.
Ghana did not get there through control for long stretches. They got there by absorbing Panama’s first-half pressure, changing the game with substitutions, and finishing when the match was almost gone.
