Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz praised his players for their resilience and quality after the Black Stars battled to a 1-0 win over Panama at BMO Field. Speaking after the match, Queiroz described the World Cup as a tournament of very expensive wins and said Ghana had to suffer and “fight for their lives before taking control and imposing their game on a well-organised Panama side.
The Portuguese tactician highlighted step-by-step adjustments that allowed Ghana to frustrate Panama’s fast, vertical play and force mistakes. He also backed Caleb Yirenkyi as a future midfield star and called for VAR to do better after a penalty appeal against Jerome Opoku was ignored.
Read on for the full transcript:
On the game
Well, I’m tired. It was so tough and so intense that even me and myself feel tired. This tells us everything about the game. It was really a very intensive game. As I said here in the press conference, the wins in this World Cup are very expensive. But today, our players show, as I said yesterday, they are ready to play at high prices for wins. We knew that Panama is a wonderful team, very well organised. They play very smart, very fast, special. When they started the game, we knew that.
It was our time to suffer, to play with a lot of concentration, invite them to come, start to frustrate them, start to control all the solutions that they have when they go forward. Step by step, with the adjustments that we did during the game, I think we start to control the game, we start to put more pressure on them, force them to make mistakes, and we keep going, keep going. That’s the way we find the right way to win, and we did it. First, suffering in the fight, after expressing the quality of our players and the pleasure of our football.
On seeing Ghana as torch bearers for Africa in this tournament
It’s true that we didn’t qualify for the last World Cup in Africa, but the World Cup is a different story. We played football, so we can count on Ghana to do things. I think all the games will be difficult, different, but we are ready to play and try to win the next game against England. We will be ready to play against them.
On playing without Thomas Partey
You’ve been in the game, right? So, if you’ve been in the game, I think if you saw the game, you will have the answer to your questions, and I think you can have better questions for me you.
On second half performance
We are growing up as a team. We are playing a different system. The methods that we are using to attack are built to match the profile of our players. Playing vertical football with full speed actions. But step by step, we will improve. The players will adjust to each other. For me, it’s important that the players understand the game. And people need to understand the game. We don’t play alone. I’m never tired to say this to the press, I’m never tired to say this to the fans. It’s impossible for you guys to think that you can bring a football game but only put one team on the pitch. We play against others, they have the same expectations, the same preparation, they have the same dreams, goals. We have to play the game that is in front of us. Today, we show exactly that. When they push, we defend, we fight for lives. It was fantastic to see our players fight for their lives. Step by step, we start to impose our game. I think it’s also important to say that we suffer during the duels, the individual duels. The Panama players, they take advantage of those situations, pushing, grabbing against our players. Our players are young players, they’re naive players. The players from Panama are more experienced. It was necessary that the referee put order on the pitch. But they keep going, pushing, grabbing. We lost a lot of duels because we play with the heart and we’re not aggressive. But the second half, I pushed the ears of my players. We have to go and fight and answer on the same level. Step by step, we start to create a better balance. We should score before; there was a clear penalty against Opoku. The more cameras in VAR they put in the game, the less they can see. It’s amazing. How can How can that penalty escape from VAR? It is something that I have to spend probably a couple of months to start to investigate science to understand how a penalty can escape from VAR in that moment. So we should score more early, especially in the moment that we deserve because we start to control the game.
On Panama
At the beginning, Panama, we knew, very well organised, speed, good control of movements. They’ve been together for years. They play first touch football. And they start the game better. But as I said, we fight for lives, we survived. And after we have the game in control, we scored naturally because we are the best team on the pitch.
On Caleb Yirenkyi
I don’t know which games you make an assessment about the way he’s playing. It’s true that in the national team we play two games as a right back. But in fact, the majority of the games he’s not playing right back. You are wrong about that. You are not right. Probably we have a perception of the two games you saw against Austria and Germany. But most of the other games he played in the midfield. And in this club he plays in a very different position because he’s playing midfield and adapting centre back. But mainly there is no doubt about that. In my humble opinion, he is a midfield player and will be a great midfield player for Ghana. Still young, still a lot of things to learn. But if at this age, he’s able to do this, when he grows up and learns a lot, I think he can be a player that creates a lot of impact in our team.
On the hydration breaks and its impact
I’m not sure about this decision, as I said in the press conference yesterday. But it is also true that a lot of games in the world they are not playing under good weather conditions. So, I think probably in the future this law must be adapted to the weather conditions because if the players play in extremely humid environments and eat in the environment, they need the water break. No doubt about that. In other games I have some doubts about that. But my opinion is this, now is not the time to debate the decision. At the end of the World Cup, we need an integrity report about what happened. As I said in the press conference, to make a decision and make a conclusion if this decision was made by marketing reasons or really to protect the health of the players.
On adjustments
As I said, everything started to change. Even in the first half, when we made an adjustment, they came with a different profile than we expected because the two midfielders did not play as we expected. They played in a vertical position, and they complicated a little bit our defensive moments. But when we stretched our midfield with Kamal Moura on the left and we started to be aggressive in the middle of the park, even after the water break in the first half, we started to control the game because they didn’t have more solutions after that. Halftime was just to give them confidence that we knew the profile of Panama. They always start strong with speed, with a great understanding. They are a good team. What I’m saying, I hope you understand, is that the wins are very expensive.
On football growing across the globe
Football in the world is very balanced, very competitive in this moment. There are no more differences of 5-0, 6-0. (15:14) You see the results. Today, Portugal drew also 9 draws in 10 or 12 matches. This shows that the game is quite balanced. Panama is a good team. They have been working for 3 or 4 years. Same system, same coach, same movements. They have one understanding and we knew that because we saw them play many times. That’s why we were prepared for that. We prepared for the intensity that they put in the game. That’s why I said that in the first minutes we knew that we had to suffer. We had to play aggressively, give them some chances to come against us. We opened the spaces, we attracted them. And when they started to follow in that trap, it was when we started to use our best skills behind them.
On Ati-Zigi’s injury
Not sure yet. We need to make an assessment tomorrow. Today is early. This kind of injury is only 24, 48 hours after. We’ll be able to be sure that he can play the next match. But we’re very happy.
On Bejamin Asare
We have all the players ready to play and compete. Asare came on and he did very well and so we are happy.
GFA COMMUNICATIONS
