Ghana's Semenyo says they are ready to make a statement against England

Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo says the Black Stars are ready for their FIFA World Cup match against England. They want to “prove a point” after a tense 1-0 win over Panama on Wednesday night in Toronto.

Caleb Yirenkyi scored in stoppage time to secure the win. Ghana had a tough time controlling the game, as Panama dominated for long stretches. The Black Stars often found themselves defending.

Despite the win, Ghana sits second in the group behind England, who won their first match 4-2 against Croatia.

Now, all eyes are on the crucial match with England on June 23. This game is especially important for Semenyo, who was born in England.

After the tough game against Panama, ESPN reported on Friday that Semenyo acknowledged Ghana struggled early on. Their pressing game did not work well, and the midfield had a hard time dealing with Panama's attack.

Semenyo found himself often isolated on the pitch. Ghana's head coach Carlos Quieroz changed Semenyo's position during the match, moving him to the center to help stabilize the team before switching him back to the wing.

“I feel like the first 15, 20 minutes we weren’t getting the press right, so he put me in the middle just to get the team up a little bit,” Semenyo said.

“We felt like we were a little bit deep. That was the whole point of that change. But eventually, as the game opened up, he wanted me back out wide trying to get on the ball.

“We stuck together well, didn’t concede. Like I said, it was a game about moments. We got our moment and we finished it off.”

The winning goal came in a chaotic moment. Semenyo was involved in the buildup before Yirenkyi scored in stoppage time.

Semenyo said the speed of the play made it hard to process everything in that moment. “I can’t remember what happened,” he said. “I think the ball broke loose fast, and I got it. I just wanted to play it into space for Brandon, and I thought I’d over hit the pass but he got there just in time.

“When he got the ball, I wanted to cut back initially, but I made the run across the front post, completely missed the ball, but luckily it went to Caleb and he tapped it in.”

The late goal led to wild celebrations among players and fans. Quieroz also thanked the traveling Ghana supporters after the match.

Semenyo praised the atmosphere created by the fans throughout the tough match. “It was crazy. The fans were loud all game for us and we appreciate them for everything and just celebrating that moment with them, teammates, family, friends. It was amazing.”