Black Stars defender Jerome Opoku has called for unity and maximum effort as Ghana prepare for a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup Group L clash against England.
Ghana opened their campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama at BMO Field, with Caleb Yirenkyi netting a late winner to secure all three points for the four-time African champions.
With attention now shifting to their second group game against the Three Lions at Gillette Stadium on June 23, Opoku stressed the need for collective sacrifice and focus as they face one of the tournament favourites led by Thomas Tuchel.
“So, we’re all happy, we’re all happy. Every game is another game, you know. So England, Panama, Croatia, we all have the same focus for each game, and we want to get three points, of course.
“So, yeah, we’re going to see how the training goes this week and prepare our best to take all three points for England, yeah.”
He added that Ghana must replicate their fighting spirit from the Panama victory, insisting the squad would need to remain fully committed on the pitch to stand a chance.
“Obviously, we know they’ve got good players, they’ve got great qualities, but I think as a group we know our qualities too.
“So, this is another game for us, and we need to just give our full fight, as we did in Panama, you know, die for each other on the pitch, and, you know, hopefully we get the three points.
Ghana’s opening win places them second in Group L behind England, who began their campaign with a 4–2 win over Croatia.
The Black Stars will complete their group-stage fixtures against Croatia four days after the England clash, with the team aiming to build momentum toward a potential return to the knockout stages for the first time since their memorable 2010 quarter-final run.
