Online Reporter
TORONTO. — Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said wins in this World Cup came at a high price and that his players had shown they were ready to pay it after the West African country overcame Panama 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time goal on Wednesday.
Queiroz brushed aside questions about the absence of midfielder Thomas Partey from the game due to a Canadian travel ban and visa issues.
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“With the football we played today we can count on Ghana to do something,” he told reporters.
Queiroz, 73, was not scheduled to go to the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States until April when Ghana appointed him in place of Otto Addo, fired in March after a series of disappointing results.The Portuguese, however, complained about the rough handling of Ghana players by the Panamanian side, and said his team were “naive and not aggressive in the first half”.
Ghana had to replace goalkeeper Ati Zigi at halftime following a collision.
“Not sure,” Queiroz said about Zigi’s availability for the next game against England. “It is early and this kind of injury it is only after 24 to 48 hours we can be sure.”Meanwhile, Panama coach Thomas Christiansen said his team deserved better after a “cruel” 1-0 loss to Ghana in their opening World Cup Group L match on Wednesday.
Panama looked the better side in the first half and had plenty of opportunities throughout the match but were unable to find the net before Caleb Yirenkyi knocked home the winner for Ghana in the 95th minute.
“The result is painful, but that’s because we deserved better,” Christiansen said. “We were excellent in the first half— we controlled Ghana.”
“It is a cruel way to lose a game,” he added. “But we can’t just keep dwelling on this error forever.”
Panama are still searching for their first-ever World Cup win and now face an uphill battle to get out of a group that also includes heavyweights England and Croatia.
“Here we have two games against very challenging opponents,” Christiansen said. “We know the quality they have, but we will do our very best.”
Panama’s next match is on Tuesday against Croatia, who will also be looking to bounce back after a 4-2 loss to England earlier on Wednesday.
Christiansen praised Croatia as an “excellent team” but said his side will bring their top game and not be timid. “The way we’ll do that is by showing that Panama is a very difficult team to beat, and we are going to fight to the very end,” Christiansen said.— Reuters.
