馃嚦馃嚘NamibiaSouthern Africa
Ghana secures 1-0 victory over Panama in World Cup opener with late goal
via The Namibian1 min read
Ghana defeated Panama 1-0 in their opening World Cup Group L match in Toronto. Caleb Yirenkyi scored the winning goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The first half saw limited scoring opportunities for both teams, with Ghana not attempting a shot on goal. The second half, played under rain, featured more attacking play, and Cristian Martinez of Panama had a notable shot in the 60th minute. Ghana's coach, Carlos Queiroz, celebrated with fans after the goal. Queiroz, who took charge of the Black Stars months before the tournament, became the second coach to appear in five consecutive World Cups. Ghana played without midfielder Thomas Partey, who was denied a World Cup visa by Canadian authorities due to a trial on rape charges in Britain.
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
Harry Kane scored two goals, including a retaken penalty, as England secured a 4-2 victory over Croatia in their World Cup opening match in Texas. Jude Bellingham and substitute Marcus Rashford also scored for England. Croatia's goals came from Martin Baturina and Petar Musa. England initially took the lead twice in the first half through Kane, but Croatia equalized both times. Bellingham restored England's lead early in the second half, and Rashford sealed the win with five minutes remaining. England captain Harry Kane noted the team's improved intensity in the second half after a half-time speech from the manager. Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic attributed some of his team's difficulties to England's prowess in dead-ball situations, calling the match "strange and difficult." This match was a repeat of the 2018 semi-final, which Croatia won. England will next play Ghana, while Croatia will face Panama.
World champion Tadej Pogacar secured a dominant victory on the opening stage of the Tour of Switzerland, signaling strong form ahead of the Tour de France. Pogacar broke away from the peloton with 71.5km remaining in the 144km stage, which started and finished in Sondrio, Italy. He finished 2 minutes and 14 seconds ahead of Richard Carapaz, with Andrea Bagioli in third place at 2 minutes and 29 seconds. Other overall contenders lost more than four minutes. Pogacar, who had not raced since early May, stated that the early breakaway was not planned but proved effective. This marks his tenth victory in twelve days of racing this year, reinforcing his status as a top contender for the Grande Boucle.
Must ReadJacinta Ngobese-Zuma, founder of the March and March organization in South Africa, stated that Namibians are not targets of an anti-immigrant movement, describing them as "law-abiding citizens." She clarified that her organization has no issues with Namibians, but identifies Nigerians as problematic due to alleged undocumented entry, building hijacking, drug sales, and prostitution. Ngobese-Zuma denied reports of her organization "hunting" foreigners, asserting their marches are peaceful and aimed at the government. These comments follow the hijacking of a Namibian bus from Mbishi Transport in Johannesburg, which is still missing. Ufemia Mbishi, owner of Mbishi Transport, confirmed the bus hijacking, stating drivers were held at gunpoint for seven hours but released unharmed, and passengers are returning to Namibia. He noted limited assistance from South African Police Service and the Namibian high commission. Secilia Hiskia, acting executive director of international relations and trade, said the ministry is aware of the incident and is following developments through the Namibian high commission in Pretoria. Hiskia stated there is no credible evidence suggesting the hijacking was xenophobia-related, viewing it as consistent with criminality or local transport sector conflict. Duminga Ndala, Landless People鈥檚 Movement national youth leader, believes Namibians in South Africa remain safe due to their compliance with laws. Rodney Cloete, Independent Patriots for Change shadow m