<p>The Bournemouth attacker delivered an energetic and influential performance throughout the contest, helping Ghana overcome a stubborn Panama side in a match ultimately decided by a late winner from Caleb Yirenkyi.</p><p>Semenyo was one of Ghana's brightest performers on the night, constantly stretching Panama's defence with his pace, movement and attacking intent. His relentless work rate caused problems for the Central Americans and played a key role in keeping the Black Stars on the front foot despite their struggles to find a breakthrough.</p><p>While Yirenkyi's stoppage-time strike secured the three points and sparked celebrations among Ghanaian supporters, Semenyo's overall contribution earned him recognition as the standout player on the pitch.</p><p>The Black Stars found it difficult to break down Panama's organised defence for much of the game, with clear-cut chances proving hard to come by. However, Semenyo remained a constant threat and was heavily involved in Ghana's attacking build-up as they pushed for a winning goal.</p><p>The decisive moment arrived deep into added time when Brandon Thomas-Asante provided the assist for Yirenkyi, who calmly finished to hand Ghana a crucial victory in their first match of the tournament.</p><p>FIFA's decision to award Semenyo the Player of the Match honour reflects the forward's impact across the 90 minutes, with his determination and attacking quality helping Ghana maintain pressure until the final whistle.</p><p><img src="https://keryxonline.com/storage/uploads/content/2026/06/img_6a33ef5fbb024_1781788511.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" class="img-responsive" data-filename="content/2026/06/img_6a33ef5fbb024_1781788511.jpg"><br></p><p>The result gives Ghana a perfect start to their World Cup campaign and places them level on points with England, who defeated Croatia 4-2 in the other Group L fixture.</p><p>Semenyo's award will come as further recognition of his growing influence within the national team setup, with the 25-year-old continuing to establish himself as one of the Black Stars' key attacking players on the international stage.</p><p>Ghana will now turn their attention to a highly anticipated clash against England, knowing another positive result could significantly boost their hopes of reaching the knockout rounds.</p><p><strong>Match Result:</strong> Ghana 1-0 Panama</p><p><strong>Goal Scorer:</strong> Caleb Yirenkyi (90+5')</p><p><strong>FIFA Player of the Match:</strong> Antoine Semenyo</p><p><strong>Competition:</strong> FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group L<br><br>Photo credits: Ghbase News and goal.com</p>