The 20-year-old FC Nordsjelland midfielder tapped home in the 95th minute to seal a 1-0 win over Panama, becoming the second-youngest Ghanaian to score at a World Cup and breaking Asamoah Gyan’s 16-year record for the Black Stars’ latest-ever World Cup goal.
Caleb Yirenkyi was still shy of his 21st birthday when he stood in the middle of a rain-soaked Toronto Stadium pitch on Wednesday night, surrounded by team-mates at the BMO Field.
The 20-year-old midfielder had just slid the ball into an empty Panama net in the 95th minute to give Ghana a 1-0 win in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener and, in the process, written his name into the Black Stars’ history books.
Speaking after the game, the FC Nordsjelland man tried his best to keep the praise at arm’s length.
“I feel quite good. I’ll give the credit to the team. I’m quite happy.”
According to Opta, Yirenkyi’s strike at 94 minutes and four seconds is now the latest goal Ghana have ever scored in a World Cup match (excluding extra time), eclipsing Asamoah Gyan’s famous 92:38 effort against the United States at South Africa 2010.
At 20 years and 153 days old, he also became the second-youngest player to score for Ghana at the tournament, behind only Draman Haminu, who netted at 20 years and 82 days. And it was, remarkably, only his second international goal, just over two weeks after his first.
Credit: flashscore.com
