A 95th-minute mishit from Caleb Yirenkyi was enough to give Ghana a 1-0 victory over Panama at BMO Field in Toronto, but what unfolded in the rain over those ninety-five minutes sent a fairly clear message to the stronger sides in Group L: there is not much to worry about here - not yet, anyway. England had beaten Croatia 4-2 in a thrilling contest in Arlington, Texas earlier in the day. This, by contrast, was a slog.

For the neutral, it was a tough watch. The tempo was heavy, the finishing was wayward, and for long stretches both sides seemed content to squander whatever limited chances came their way. Ghana, ranked 72nd in the world by FIFA, mustered an expected goals (xG) figure of just 0.24 going into stoppage time - and an expected goals on target (xGOT) figure of a barely-measurable 0.05. Panama were no more incisive, managing only two shots on target from eight attempts. Just as fans of fast-paced disciplines might browse gymnastics betting odds for a change of pace mid-tournament, those watching this one could have been forgiven for checking out altogether. Only the closing minutes salvaged it from total obscurity. gymnastics betting odds

The winning goal itself had a dark comic quality. Yirenkyi, whose second-half effort earlier in the evening had sailed into the Toronto skyline somewhere in the vicinity of the CN Tower, found himself unmarked on the goalline in the 95th minute after Brandon Thomas-Asante drove across the face of goal. The 20-year-old mishit his strike - but from barely three yards out, the ball looped awkwardly off his right boot and crept into the net. It was the latest winning goal of this World Cup so far. Ugly? Yes. Effective? Barely, but ultimately enough.

A Ghana Side That Lacks Conviction - With or Without Partey

Carlos Queiroz's team got the win, but in truth they did their best to avoid it for the majority of the match. Vice-captain Thomas Partey was absent, denied a visa to enter Canada for this fixture, but the problems on display here ran deeper than personnel. Antoine Semenyo, Ghana's most dangerous attacking presence, spent most of the evening drifting on the periphery, unable to impose himself on a game that badly needed someone to take it by the scruff of the neck. When the decisive moment finally came, it owed as much to Thomas-Asante's lung-busting run and the general chaos in front of goal as it did to any designed pattern of play. Elating for those wearing black, gold and green in the stands. Convincing, it was not.

Boos in the Rain: The Hydration Break Controversy Rumbles On

This World Cup's recurring subplot - the hydration break - made itself known again in Toronto, and the reaction from supporters told its own story. Both halves were paused for players to rehydrate, which would be entirely unremarkable in sweltering heat. But it was raining throughout at BMO Field. Supporters and photographers in ponchos, drummers trying to keep spirits up in the damp, and a stadium that interrupted the flow of an already stilted match twice for water stoppages - the boos that rang around the ground were entirely understandable. With broadcasters such as Canada's TSN having used the breaks as commercial windows, the cynicism in the stands was not without foundation. The breaks appear institutionalised now, and the debate about whether they serve players or broadcast schedules shows no sign of ending.

When the Match Mattered Less Than the Moment

Strip away the football and something more vivid was happening in Toronto. Ghanaian and Panamanian supporters filled corners of the city with colour, noise and genuine warmth, sharing chants and, for stretches, singing each other's names together in the stands. Given the significant barriers - visa complications, travel costs, the sheer logistical difficulty of making it from West Africa to North America - those flying Ghana's colours represented something beyond a matchday crowd. A corner of Toronto became, for a few hours, a slice of Ghanaian life. Panama's supporters came in larger numbers and when their unofficial anthem, Patria - meaning homeland - was sung, it carried weight that transcended the scoreline. Neither team is likely to trouble the latter stages of this tournament. But for supporters whose national sides rarely share a stage with the world's biggest football nations, these fixtures are not just games. They are the thing itself.