Panama Coach Thomas Christiansen Explains How They Lost the Game Against Ghana

Panama’s national football team began their journey in the 2026 World Cup with a 1-0 defeat against Ghana at Toronto Stadium, in a match in which coach Thomas Christiansen acknowledged that his team lost control in the second half and ended up falling into the rhythm of the opponent.  The Spanish-Danish coach explained that the game plan became blurred after halftime, when Panama stopped imposing its style.  “In the second half, we fell into their style of play, transitioning and playing more directly. Instead of sticking to our plan, which was to control possession, build attacks from the back, and then create chances, the truth is that in the second half we resorted to long balls, which isn’t our strength, especially given the conditions under which we made those passes,” Christiansen said in an interview. 

Christiansen believed that abandoning their own style and adopting that of their opponent was decisive in the outcome of the match. “We had a lot of faith that this game would be positive for us, and now we have to keep going. There are two more games we have to play, games we want to win, and we’re going to try our best,” the coach added.  The coach was also self-critical when assessing the team’s performance in the decisive moments of the match, especially in the play that ultimately determined the score. The defeat was sealed in the 90+5 minute, when Caleb Yirenkyi capitalized on a counter-attack by the African side to score the only goal of the game. 

“The truth is, it’s an ugly way to lose. We played a good first half, controlling the game and taking it to our territory,” said Christiansen, who also stressed the need to learn from the mistakes made.  “We have to learn from our mistakes. What happened in that last play leading to the goal: we have to learn that we need to come out with more attitude. We had opportunities to commit fouls, to stop the plays,” he added.  Finally, the coach made it clear that the focus is already on the upcoming Group L matches. “If you go to ground, it’s because you’re carrying the ball or stopping it there, but in the end, you have to get up and gather strength for the next match against Croatia (June 23),” he concluded.