Assin South MP Rev. John Ntim Fordjour has said Ghana’s 1-0 victory over Panama at the 2026 FIFA World Cup demonstrates that national unity, rather than political division, is the key to achieving success.

Contributing to parliamentary statements on the Black Stars’ performance, Rev. Ntim Fordjour praised the team for securing a crucial win in Toronto and singled out 19-year-old Caleb Yirenkyi for scoring the decisive goal.

According to him, the victory showed what Ghanaians can achieve when they rally behind a common purpose.

“If a nation unites behind a team and a purpose and puts political colours behind, we would definitely achieve our goal,” he said.

He described the match as a demonstration that success comes through divine favour rather than human effort alone.

“Yesterday was a clear demonstration that not by might, not by power, and not he that wills it or he that runs it, but the Lord that showed mercy,” he stated.

Rev. Ntim Fordjour said the game kept the nation in suspense until the final whistle, noting that the outcome remained uncertain throughout the contest.

Providing a detailed account of the winning goal, he recounted how Caleb Yirenkyi initiated the move in the 19th minute before combining with Antoine Semenyo and Thomas Asante to complete the scoring sequence.

“Getting to the nineteenth minute when a new wave of inspiration was sparked, the young man Caleb Yirenkyi started an onslaught, initiated the attack and then passed it on to Antoine Semenyo. Antoine Semenyo brilliantly passed it to Thomas Asante. Then the whole country started rising; hope had been restored,” he said.

“Then just when, brilliantly, Thomas Asante passed it on to the young man Caleb who initiated the attack and finished it completely, brilliantly, all of us were thrown into a state of ecstasy. Midnight and the whole country was vibrating with joy.”

The MP described the result as critical to Ghana’s chances of advancing from Group L, which includes England and Croatia.

“The victory we won yesterday was our clear chance of qualifying for the next round. If we had lost that game, our dreams would have ended,” he said.

He contrasted Ghana’s performance with those of other teams in the tournament, noting that some highly rated sides had struggled to secure positive results.

Rev. Ntim Fordjour said the victory had sparked patriotism among Ghanaians both at home and abroad, with supporters proudly displaying the national colours and team jerseys.

“That goes to show the new spirit, the spirit of patriotism that has been awakened by football. Football unites all of us. Football has a unique power of bringing the country together, bringing us, uniting us and letting us forget our differences,” he said.

He urged political leaders and citizens to sustain the spirit of unity beyond the World Cup.

“This must remind us that in much the same way, if we would tone down on the political differences that continually destroy this country, but unite the political class all the way to the grassroots, we will be able to go somewhere very far,” he said.

Drawing from his experience in Ankwaso in the Assin South Constituency, he said people from different political, religious and social backgrounds came together to support the Black Stars.

“We forgot who was NPP or NDC, that did not matter to us. We forgot who was Muslim or Christian, that did not matter to us. All of us were united and fixated and focused on victory for Ghana. That spirit should not end when the World Cup season ends,” he added.

Rev. Ntim Fordjour also highlighted Caleb Yirenkyi’s background in science and technology, revealing that the young footballer won the Ministry of Education’s Robotics Competition in 2019.

“I want to commend Caleb Yirenkyi. Just in 2019, a few years ago, he was a proud winner of the Ministry of Education’s Robotics Competition,” he said.

He added that Ghana’s investment in STEM education and robotics was helping to nurture young talents who are now emerging as global stars on the international stage.