Carlos Queiroz believes “wins in this World Cup are very expensive”, but insisted his Ghana players “are ready to pay high prices”.
Ghana opened their Group L campaign with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Panama, which was clinched by Caleb Yirenkyi’s 95th-minute winner.
Yirenkyi’s goal, which came after 94 minutes and four seconds, is the latest-ever scored by Ghana in a World Cup match, excluding extra time.
At 20 years and 153 days old, he also became the second-youngest player to score for the Black Stars in the tournament, behind only Draman Haminu, who netted against the United States in 2006 at 20 years and 82 days old.
Ghana also kept their third-ever clean sheet in the World Cup, ending a run of 10 consecutive matches in the tournament without one; their previous shutouts came in victories against Czechia in 2006 and Serbia in 2010.
“I am tired! That was so tough and so intensive,” said Queiroz after Ghana’s late winner.
“Wins in this World Cup are very expensive, but my players showed that they are ready to pay high prices for wins.
“Panama played very smart and fast. We had to suffer and show concentration. We kept going and found a right way to win the game.
“We are growing up as a team and the players understand the game. When the opponent is better, we fight for our lives.
“With the football that we play, you can count on Ghana to do something.”
Mood #BlackStars | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/6Uo6EnKW55
— Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) June 18, 2026
Panama are still yet to win a point at the World Cup, losing all four of their matches in 2018 and 2026 while conceding 12 goals in total.
However, Panama did not concede a shot until the 48th minute against Ghana – they had allowed an attempt within the first 10 minutes of each of their previous three World Cup matches.
Head coach Thomas Christiansen felt his side deserved more from the game, and he believes they must now produce a brave display in their next match against Croatia.
“The result is painful, but that is because we deserved better,” said the Panama boss.
“We controlled the first half, but in the second half, we played their game a bit more. That’s not how we wanted to play, but now is not the time for regrets.
“We have two more matches. If we want to get in the next round, we will need a good result against Croatia. We have lessons to learn. At the World Cup, mistakes are expensive.
“We will not be timid against Croatia. We want to show that Panama is difficult to beat and we will fight until the last breath.”
