Key events
Halftime mailbag
ââFreshly hydratedâ by standing about in the pissing rain for three minutes, I take it?â â James Humphries
The fans are certainly hydrated.
âIâm loving this Ghanaian goalkeeper who apparently thinks heâs playing in the 1970 World Cup.â â Michael Meagher
Thatâs the year I was born, coincidentally.
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Stat of the half: Panama have completed 277 passes. Ghana? 149.
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Halftime: Ghana 0-0 Panama
The first few minutes of this game were promising. Panama had a good effort on goal, forcing a brilliant save. Ghana showed a bit of attacking acumen.
After that, the entertainment value of this one plummeted.
Share
45 min +5 Free kick to Ghana on a dive by Semenyo.
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45 min +4 No pressure from Ghana. Andrade dribbles tentatively up the left side, nearly to the midfield line.
Then he passes it back to Cordoba. Sigh.
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45 min +2 Rodriguez tries to break down the left flank but is literally surrounded by four yellow shirts. He tries to draw a foul, which was probably his only option, but Ghana clear easily.
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45 min Weâll have five more minutes. Not sure we really wanted them. Ghana will need to sort out their sputtering attack at halftime.
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44 min Benjamin Asare, the only player on the Ghana roster who plays club ball in Ghana, is warming up to replace Ati-Zigi. He was considered a potential starter before the Cup, so perhaps this wouldnât be a drop in quality, but Ati-Zigi has been superb in this match.
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41 min Rodriguez makes a few moves on the ball, then sends a pass skipping out of bounds. Oops.
Ati-Zigi has gone down, which isnât a good sign. The broadcast feed shows an overhead view as the physios work on Ati-Zigiâs groin. After a few awkward seconds, a director somewhere realizes this isnât appropriate television and switches to something else.
Share
40 min Ati-Zigi out AGAIN to stop a through ball before the wide-open Murillo can play it, and AGAIN, Panama shoot quickly with the goalkeeper stranded but canât get the shot on frame.
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38 min Ati-Zigi once again has to storm out bravely to punch a ball clear under heavy pressure. The ball lands near Ramos, who tries to shoot quickly with Ghanaâs goalkeeper scrambling back to his feet, but the shot is high.
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Updated at 01.42 CEST
36 min Weâve seen a couple of replays now of that penalty shout. One angle makes it seem like legal shoulder contact. Another looks like an extended-arm push in the back.
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34 min Is that a penalty? Long ball over the top for Martinez, and he seems to have bundled down by a defender. No call.
A few seconds later, another ball floats into the area where Ati-Zigi and a Ghanaian teammate challenge against a Panamanian attacker. Both Ghanaian players are down injured.
Share
33 min ESPN stats show Panama defender Cordoba has already completed 43 passes out of 45 attempts. Impressive, but it also shows how little Panama have managed to move forward in recent minutes.
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31 min Nothing comes of the free kick. But the hydration break seems to have altered the momentum, swinging in favor of Ghana.
Share
30 min Panama are being forced to defend now. Yirenkyi falls after modest contact and swims his way to the ball. The late whistle goes against Panama, and Ghana have a dangerous free kick.
Share
29 min Center ⊠passes to wing ⊠back to center ⊠holds it ⊠holds it âŠ
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27 min Freshly hydrated, Ghanaâs forwards press and force an aimless pass up the field, picked off by their teammates at the back.
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The dominant color in the stands is yellow â many Ghanaian fans, many people in ponchos.
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23 min Cordoba leaps to win the ball over Ayew, who stays down for a few seconds while Ghana shout for a foul. They may have had a point.
Everybody hydrate!
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Updated at 01.32 CEST
22 min Was Colin Robinson, the energy vampire from What We Do in the Shadows, present somewhere in Toronto? The energy has been drained from this match.
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20 min Ghana work their way forward and cross. Panama clear for a throw-in, then win the ball shortly thereafter, but Ghana have numbers back already.
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19 min Panama have had the better of things, yes, but it has now been quite some time since they broke through in any meaningful way.
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16 min Finally, Ghana have a brief spell of possession. They lose it, and Yirenkyi fouls right away before Panama can go the other way. Thatâs a yellow card.
Ghana are resorting to fouls far more quickly than they should. That could be a problem.
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14 min Panama pass around in their own half, then launch the ball forward for Waterman, whoâs marked well and canât get to it.
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13 min Ghana finally get the ball and play quickly up the right side for Nuamah, who seems close to turning the corner but canât. He tumbles to the ground, but thereâs no foul.
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Updated at 01.22 CEST
12 min Another half-decent chance for Panama, with a cross that skids through the penalty area but misses its target.
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12 min Now itâs Panamaâs half but at Panamaâs feet. Ghana have not yet gotten anything going other than the occasional foul. Like that one.
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10 min: Everything has taken place in Ghanaâs half of the field for the last several minutes.
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8 min A needless Ghanaian foul is waved off because the player who was clobbered was offside when he received the ball. Ouch.
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Martinez shows the referee some cleat marks on his arm, a gift from Ati-Zigi.
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6 min Panama are looking confident in the attack, both with a short-pass possession game and a long ball that forces Ati-Zigi to fight Martinez for the ball.
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4 min Ghana embark on the âblast the ball forward for Semenyoâ strategy. In this case, the ball goes too far and bounds out of play.
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2 min CHANCE FOR PANAMA â Murillo crosses on the ground to Waterman, whose one-timer is parried by the outstretched Ati-Zigi.
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Updated at 01.11 CEST
2 min The referee asks Senaya to use a different ball for the throw-in than the one he planned to use.
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1 min Panama pass pointlessly, possession purloined.
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Peep!
Itâs raining a bit in Toronto as we get started. Current temperature is 20 degrees. Thatâs Celsius. Canada isnât that cold.
Share
The kid who picked up the ball as the officials and players walked onto the field gave the camera a little wink. Priceless.
Anthems up shortly. But first, the song that makes all US sports fans of a certain age growl, âAt guard, from North ⊠Carolina ⊠6-6 ⊠Michael Jordan!â Yes, itâs Sirius, by the Alan Parsons Project.
Fun fact: During the Chicago Bullsâ glory days, they often greeted the opposing team with On the Run, an instrumental and experimental track off Pink Floydâs Dark Side of the Moon. The engineer on that piece was ⊠Alan Parsons.
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Updated at 00.58 CEST
Match officials âŠ
The third team on the field (and in a room with TVs) is:
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
AR1: Mahbod Beigi (Sweden)
AR2: Andreas Soderkvist (Sweden)
4th: Khalid Alturais (Saudi Arabia)
Reserve: Mohammed Alabakry (Saudi Arabia)
VAR 1: Bram Van Driessche (Belgium)
Assistant VAR: Marco Di Bello (Italy)
Support VAR: Bastian Dankert (Germany)
Nyberg has worked countless Champions League and internationals with a couple of controversial moments, including a curious event in a Champions League quarterfinal when Arsenalâs Gabriel, believing the match against Bayern Munich had not restarted, picked up the ball in the penalty area. The opposing coach, one Thomas Tuchel, was not amused.
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Have you tried Bracketology?
My current picks have France over Spain in one semifinal and Argentina over England in the other. I see France taking it this time.
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Panama XI
A stunner in the lineup announcement: Captain Anibal Godoy is not in the XI. I havenât seen anything about an injury. All told, five of the predicted starters in our team guide are not starting today.
The starting lineup that will face Ghana is: Mosquera; Andrade, Cordoba, Ramos, Blackman; Rodriguez, Martinez, Harvey, Murillo; Waterman, Barcenas (capt.)
While the bulk of Ghanaâs roster competes in major European nations, the Panamanian teamâs employers are more eclectic.
Four players are based in Mexico. Other countries in the Americas have two each â Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the USA, Venezuela and Panama itself. Other players are in Austria, Azerbaijan, England, Honduras, Israel, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Turkey and Uruguay.
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Updated at 00.33 CEST
Ghana XI (note injury and visa issue)
Visa issues have hit many teamsâ traveling parties as they head toward the USA, but Ghana have a curious case of a player who is welcome in the USA but not in Canada. Midfielder Thomas Partey, a longtime Arsenal player now with Villarreal, was not allowed to cross the border. Court documents show Partey had claimed he was not facing criminal charges in any country, but he is awaiting trial in London over rape and sexual assault allegations.
Mohammed Kudus and Mohammed Salisu are not on the Ghanaian roster due to injury.
The starting lineup that will face Panama is: Ati-Zigi; Mensah, Adjetey, Opoku, Senaya; Yirenkyi, Owusu; Semenyo, Sulemana, Nuamah; Ayew (capt.).
London-born Antoine Semenyo comes into the Cup after a stunning campaign in the Premier League. Jordan Ayew has 34 goals in 120 appearances but has been on a downturn along with his club, Leicester City.
Lawrence Ati-Zigi starts in goal, denying us the chance to see a player from an Irish club â Joseph Anang of St. Patrickâs Athletic.
Three players in the starting XI play for Auxerre â midfielder Elisha Owusu and outside backs Gideon Mensah and Marvin Senaya. A fourth, Ernest Nuamah, also plays in France with Lyon.
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Updated at 01.04 CEST
While you wait âŠ
You may be interested to learn that thereâs another match in progress at the moment, and itâs quite a sight.
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Preamble
Youâll need to excuse US supporters if they shudder a bit at seeing this matchup. Both of these teams have inflicted devastating losses on the US team over the years.
Ghana eliminated the USA in two consecutive World Cups â 2006 and 2010 â before the USA exacted revenge in 2014.
Panama have been the more recent nemesis, featuring heavily in the documentary series US Against the World: Four Years with the Menâs National Soccer Team. The Central American side have beaten the USA in four of the last five meaningful matches between the countries â a World Cup qualifier in 2021, a Gold Cup semifinal in 2023, a 2024 Copa America group-stage match, and the 2025 Concacaf Nations League semifinal.
That wonât matter to the home fans here because this game is in Toronto at the smallest venue in this Cup â and thatâs after 17,000 temporary seats were added.
On paper, Ghana would have to be the favorite. But ask US fans how it feels to be the favorite against Panama.
Share
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, catch up on what you need to know about Ghana and Panama with our team guides.
Ghanaâs performance in a warm-up match against Wales in Cardiff gave a sense of what their new coach, Carlos Queiroz, might be up to. The first half was not surprising â a leaky, low block with poorly coordinated pressing that brought back memories of the dysfunctional team Otto Addo had left behind. The second half was markedly different: a well-coordinated mid-block with synchronised pressing and better protection for the full-backs.
Drawn with England, Croatia and Panama in Group L, the Black Stars have enough talent to make an impact in North America. Their best showing so far at a World Cup? The quarter-finals in 2010.
La Marea Roja arrive in full voice. After their historic World Cup debut at Russia 2018, they mean business this time round, and want to progress from the group. With Michael Murillo leading from the back, the midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla providing a creative spark and the captain, AnĂbal Godoy, still the heart and soul of the team, Panama are ready to write a new chapter.
The realistic aim is to make it out of the group. Thomas Christiansen will want to prove they have the discipline to avoid a repeat of the 2018 6-1 thrashing by England, who are group opponents once more. A spot in the last 16 is the dream. The dressing room believes it is possible.
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Halftime mailbag
ââFreshly hydratedâ by standing about in the pissing rain for three minutes, I take it?â â James Humphries
The fans are certainly hydrated.
âIâm loving this Ghanaian goalkeeper who apparently thinks heâs playing in the 1970 World Cup.â â Michael Meagher
Thatâs the year I was born, coincidentally.
Share
Stat of the half: Panama have completed 277 passes. Ghana? 149.
Share
Halftime: Ghana 0-0 Panama
The first few minutes of this game were promising. Panama had a good effort on goal, forcing a brilliant save. Ghana showed a bit of attacking acumen.
After that, the entertainment value of this one plummeted.
Share
45 min +5 Free kick to Ghana on a dive by Semenyo.
Share
45 min +4 No pressure from Ghana. Andrade dribbles tentatively up the left side, nearly to the midfield line.
Then he passes it back to Cordoba. Sigh.
Share
45 min +2 Rodriguez tries to break down the left flank but is literally surrounded by four yellow shirts. He tries to draw a foul, which was probably his only option, but Ghana clear easily.
Share
45 min Weâll have five more minutes. Not sure we really wanted them. Ghana will need to sort out their sputtering attack at halftime.
Share
44 min Benjamin Asare, the only player on the Ghana roster who plays club ball in Ghana, is warming up to replace Ati-Zigi. He was considered a potential starter before the Cup, so perhaps this wouldnât be a drop in quality, but Ati-Zigi has been superb in this match.
Share
41 min Rodriguez makes a few moves on the ball, then sends a pass skipping out of bounds. Oops.
Ati-Zigi has gone down, which isnât a good sign. The broadcast feed shows an overhead view as the physios work on Ati-Zigiâs groin. After a few awkward seconds, a director somewhere realizes this isnât appropriate television and switches to something else.
Share
40 min Ati-Zigi out AGAIN to stop a through ball before the wide-open Murillo can play it, and AGAIN, Panama shoot quickly with the goalkeeper stranded but canât get the shot on frame.
Share
38 min Ati-Zigi once again has to storm out bravely to punch a ball clear under heavy pressure. The ball lands near Ramos, who tries to shoot quickly with Ghanaâs goalkeeper scrambling back to his feet, but the shot is high.
Share
Updated at 01.42 CEST
36 min Weâve seen a couple of replays now of that penalty shout. One angle makes it seem like legal shoulder contact. Another looks like an extended-arm push in the back.
Share
34 min Is that a penalty? Long ball over the top for Martinez, and he seems to have bundled down by a defender. No call.
A few seconds later, another ball floats into the area where Ati-Zigi and a Ghanaian teammate challenge against a Panamanian attacker. Both Ghanaian players are down injured.
Share
33 min ESPN stats show Panama defender Cordoba has already completed 43 passes out of 45 attempts. Impressive, but it also shows how little Panama have managed to move forward in recent minutes.
Share
31 min Nothing comes of the free kick. But the hydration break seems to have altered the momentum, swinging in favor of Ghana.
Share
30 min Panama are being forced to defend now. Yirenkyi falls after modest contact and swims his way to the ball. The late whistle goes against Panama, and Ghana have a dangerous free kick.
Share
29 min Center ⊠passes to wing ⊠back to center ⊠holds it ⊠holds it âŠ
Share
27 min Freshly hydrated, Ghanaâs forwards press and force an aimless pass up the field, picked off by their teammates at the back.
Share
The dominant color in the stands is yellow â many Ghanaian fans, many people in ponchos.
Share
23 min Cordoba leaps to win the ball over Ayew, who stays down for a few seconds while Ghana shout for a foul. They may have had a point.
Everybody hydrate!
Share
Updated at 01.32 CEST
22 min Was Colin Robinson, the energy vampire from What We Do in the Shadows, present somewhere in Toronto? The energy has been drained from this match.
Share
20 min Ghana work their way forward and cross. Panama clear for a throw-in, then win the ball shortly thereafter, but Ghana have numbers back already.
Share
19 min Panama have had the better of things, yes, but it has now been quite some time since they broke through in any meaningful way.
Share
16 min Finally, Ghana have a brief spell of possession. They lose it, and Yirenkyi fouls right away before Panama can go the other way. Thatâs a yellow card.
Ghana are resorting to fouls far more quickly than they should. That could be a problem.
Share
14 min Panama pass around in their own half, then launch the ball forward for Waterman, whoâs marked well and canât get to it.
Share
13 min Ghana finally get the ball and play quickly up the right side for Nuamah, who seems close to turning the corner but canât. He tumbles to the ground, but thereâs no foul.
Share
Updated at 01.22 CEST
12 min Another half-decent chance for Panama, with a cross that skids through the penalty area but misses its target.
Share
12 min Now itâs Panamaâs half but at Panamaâs feet. Ghana have not yet gotten anything going other than the occasional foul. Like that one.
Share
10 min: Everything has taken place in Ghanaâs half of the field for the last several minutes.
Share
8 min A needless Ghanaian foul is waved off because the player who was clobbered was offside when he received the ball. Ouch.
Share
Martinez shows the referee some cleat marks on his arm, a gift from Ati-Zigi.
Share
6 min Panama are looking confident in the attack, both with a short-pass possession game and a long ball that forces Ati-Zigi to fight Martinez for the ball.
Share
4 min Ghana embark on the âblast the ball forward for Semenyoâ strategy. In this case, the ball goes too far and bounds out of play.
Share
2 min CHANCE FOR PANAMA â Murillo crosses on the ground to Waterman, whose one-timer is parried by the outstretched Ati-Zigi.
Share
Updated at 01.11 CEST
2 min The referee asks Senaya to use a different ball for the throw-in than the one he planned to use.
Share
1 min Panama pass pointlessly, possession purloined.
Share
Peep!
Itâs raining a bit in Toronto as we get started. Current temperature is 20 degrees. Thatâs Celsius. Canada isnât that cold.
Share
The kid who picked up the ball as the officials and players walked onto the field gave the camera a little wink. Priceless.
Anthems up shortly. But first, the song that makes all US sports fans of a certain age growl, âAt guard, from North ⊠Carolina ⊠6-6 ⊠Michael Jordan!â Yes, itâs Sirius, by the Alan Parsons Project.
Fun fact: During the Chicago Bullsâ glory days, they often greeted the opposing team with On the Run, an instrumental and experimental track off Pink Floydâs Dark Side of the Moon. The engineer on that piece was ⊠Alan Parsons.
Share
Updated at 00.58 CEST
Match officials âŠ
The third team on the field (and in a room with TVs) is:
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
AR1: Mahbod Beigi (Sweden)
AR2: Andreas Soderkvist (Sweden)
4th: Khalid Alturais (Saudi Arabia)
Reserve: Mohammed Alabakry (Saudi Arabia)
VAR 1: Bram Van Driessche (Belgium)
Assistant VAR: Marco Di Bello (Italy)
Support VAR: Bastian Dankert (Germany)
Nyberg has worked countless Champions League and internationals with a couple of controversial moments, including a curious event in a Champions League quarterfinal when Arsenalâs Gabriel, believing the match against Bayern Munich had not restarted, picked up the ball in the penalty area. The opposing coach, one Thomas Tuchel, was not amused.
Share
Have you tried Bracketology?
My current picks have France over Spain in one semifinal and Argentina over England in the other. I see France taking it this time.
Share
Panama XI
A stunner in the lineup announcement: Captain Anibal Godoy is not in the XI. I havenât seen anything about an injury. All told, five of the predicted starters in our team guide are not starting today.
The starting lineup that will face Ghana is: Mosquera; Andrade, Cordoba, Ramos, Blackman; Rodriguez, Martinez, Harvey, Murillo; Waterman, Barcenas (capt.)
While the bulk of Ghanaâs roster competes in major European nations, the Panamanian teamâs employers are more eclectic.
Four players are based in Mexico. Other countries in the Americas have two each â Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the USA, Venezuela and Panama itself. Other players are in Austria, Azerbaijan, England, Honduras, Israel, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Turkey and Uruguay.
Share
Updated at 00.33 CEST
Ghana XI (note injury and visa issue)
Visa issues have hit many teamsâ traveling parties as they head toward the USA, but Ghana have a curious case of a player who is welcome in the USA but not in Canada. Midfielder Thomas Partey, a longtime Arsenal player now with Villarreal, was not allowed to cross the border. Court documents show Partey had claimed he was not facing criminal charges in any country, but he is awaiting trial in London over rape and sexual assault allegations.
Mohammed Kudus and Mohammed Salisu are not on the Ghanaian roster due to injury.
The starting lineup that will face Panama is: Ati-Zigi; Mensah, Adjetey, Opoku, Senaya; Yirenkyi, Owusu; Semenyo, Sulemana, Nuamah; Ayew (capt.).
London-born Antoine Semenyo comes into the Cup after a stunning campaign in the Premier League. Jordan Ayew has 34 goals in 120 appearances but has been on a downturn along with his club, Leicester City.
Lawrence Ati-Zigi starts in goal, denying us the chance to see a player from an Irish club â Joseph Anang of St. Patrickâs Athletic.
Three players in the starting XI play for Auxerre â midfielder Elisha Owusu and outside backs Gideon Mensah and Marvin Senaya. A fourth, Ernest Nuamah, also plays in France with Lyon.
Share
Updated at 01.04 CEST
While you wait âŠ
You may be interested to learn that thereâs another match in progress at the moment, and itâs quite a sight.
Share
Preamble
Youâll need to excuse US supporters if they shudder a bit at seeing this matchup. Both of these teams have inflicted devastating losses on the US team over the years.
Ghana eliminated the USA in two consecutive World Cups â 2006 and 2010 â before the USA exacted revenge in 2014.
Panama have been the more recent nemesis, featuring heavily in the documentary series US Against the World: Four Years with the Menâs National Soccer Team. The Central American side have beaten the USA in four of the last five meaningful matches between the countries â a World Cup qualifier in 2021, a Gold Cup semifinal in 2023, a 2024 Copa America group-stage match, and the 2025 Concacaf Nations League semifinal.
That wonât matter to the home fans here because this game is in Toronto at the smallest venue in this Cup â and thatâs after 17,000 temporary seats were added.
On paper, Ghana would have to be the favorite. But ask US fans how it feels to be the favorite against Panama.
Share
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, catch up on what you need to know about Ghana and Panama with our team guides.
Ghanaâs performance in a warm-up match against Wales in Cardiff gave a sense of what their new coach, Carlos Queiroz, might be up to. The first half was not surprising â a leaky, low block with poorly coordinated pressing that brought back memories of the dysfunctional team Otto Addo had left behind. The second half was markedly different: a well-coordinated mid-block with synchronised pressing and better protection for the full-backs.
Drawn with England, Croatia and Panama in Group L, the Black Stars have enough talent to make an impact in North America. Their best showing so far at a World Cup? The quarter-finals in 2010.
La Marea Roja arrive in full voice. After their historic World Cup debut at Russia 2018, they mean business this time round, and want to progress from the group. With Michael Murillo leading from the back, the midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla providing a creative spark and the captain, AnĂbal Godoy, still the heart and soul of the team, Panama are ready to write a new chapter.
The realistic aim is to make it out of the group. Thomas Christiansen will want to prove they have the discipline to avoid a repeat of the 2018 6-1 thrashing by England, who are group opponents once more. A spot in the last 16 is the dream. The dressing room believes it is possible.
Share
