Ghana beat Panama thanks to a last-gasp goal and now find themselves facing England in a match that could decide their World Cup fate.
Antoine Semenyo’s superb performance against Panama and Caleb Yirenkyi’s goal at the death sparked euphoric celebrations for Ghanaian fans and put the Black Stars within a whisker of qualification of the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup 2026™. But two daunting fixtures await Ghana, starting with a crunch clash with England at Boston Stadium on Tuesday.
“It’s been a good few days and the mood in the camp is great, but we’ve only won one game, so we haven’t achieved anything yet,” captain Jordan Ayew said ahead of their final training session.
Ayew is part of a diverse Ghana squad
The 34-year-old has spent the majority of his career in England playing for the likes of Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Leicester City, and is expecting a tough encounter with the Three Lions: “It will be very difficult, but then again, this is the World Cup and all the best teams in the world are here. It’s a fantastic challenge for us and we’ll do everything we can to make our fans proud.”
Ayew is part of a diverse squad featuring promising young talents alongside players who have acquired valuable experience in Europe.
Among them is Auxerre’s left-back, Gideon Mensah, who shares the pitch with two other club-mates – fellow full-back Marvin Senaya and midfielder Elisha Owusu: “Having them with me in the national team helps me a lot. They’ve known me for a long time and they know how I play. Our goal, however, is to all work together to help Ghana as a team”.
“I really hope you enjoy tomorrow’s game,” Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said with a smile as he left his pre-match press conference.
It’s the Portuguese manager’s fifth appearance at a World Cup, and with his plethora of managerial experience which includes two spells working alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, he knows exactly what’s at stake. While having players with Premier League experience helps, Queiroz outlined the importance of showcasing his team’s DNA.
“That’s what we’ll see tomorrow: a team with African style. You can’t change your DNA. It would be a mistake to alter it. The players have to stay true to who they are. They need to express themselves in their own way and how they play their football.
“And, of course, England will do the same as well. In the end, I hope we’ll be the ones to come out on top, playing our best football.”
Should Queiroz’s words prove prophetic, Ghana could dare to dream.
