On June 18, Ghana defeated Panama 1-0 in their opening match of Group L at Toronto Stadium in Ontario, Canada, thanks to a dramatic last-minute goal in stoppage time.
Despite controlling only 37% of possession compared to Panama's 56%, Ghana secured three points with a solid defense and sharp counterattacks. The decisive moment came in the dying minutes of the match when Caleb Ekwueme calmly finished a ground cross from Brandon Thomas-Asante.
At 73 years and 3 months old, Queiroz became the oldest coach to win a match at the World Cup, surpassing the previous record held by Otto Rehhagel, who was 71 years and 10 months old during the 2010 South Africa tournament.
Queiroz took over as head coach in April after the dismissal of Otto Addo and quickly led the team to its first World Cup victory in just two months.
After the match, Queiroz remarked, "We struggled at first, but we fought like warriors and won wisely. We anticipated how the opponent would play and expected to give up possession. We chose to block their attacks step by step and score to win."
Queiroz's record for the oldest winning coach could be challenged in this tournament, as Dick Advocaat of Curaçao (78 years and 8 months), Miroslav Koubek of the Czech Republic (74 years and 9 months), and Hugo Broos of South Africa (74 years and 2 months) are also seeking their first victories. If any of them win, the title of oldest winning coach could change hands again.
Queiroz is a familiar figure to South Korean football fans, having led the Iranian national team from 2011 to 2019 and faced South Korea multiple times. Notably, after a 1-0 victory in a World Cup qualifying match in Ulsan in June 2013, he made a controversial gesture towards the South Korean bench.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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