Panama defender José Cordoba has called his side's late defeat to Ghana a painful experience, after a stoppage-time goal denied the Central Americans what would have been a historic first World Cup point.

Cordoba, who plays his club football for Manchester City, was visibly deflated following the loss, admitting the squad had put in a strong collective effort before the late collapse.

"Losing a game like this is painful. The captains said that we should not lower our heads because we played a good game and we had many actions to score the goal," Cordoba told Panamanian outlet RPCTV.

The goal that sealed Ghana's victory came from Caleb Yirenkyi deep into stoppage time, snatching the win from a Panama side that had shown genuine defensive resolve throughout much of the contest.

Christensen points to defensive lapse

Head coach Thomas Christensen was candid in his assessment of the buildup to the decisive moment, criticising the manner in which Cordoba dived in on Thomas-Asante ahead of Yirenkyi's winner.

"What happened in that last play of the goal, we have to learn that we must enter with more attitude. We had opportunities to make fouls, stop the plays and we didn't," Christensen said.

The Panama manager was clear that going to ground must be purposeful — either winning the ball or stopping an opponent — and urged his players to recover quickly ahead of their next assignment.

"If you go to the ground, it is because you take the ball or stop it there, but in the end it's time to get up and draw strength for the next match against Croatia," he added.

Despite the bitter manner of defeat, Cordoba struck a measured tone regarding Panama's remaining fixtures, expressing confidence that his team could compete against the other sides in their group.

"I think the two upcoming teams are great and as we did with Ghana, we will be able to fight them," he said.

Panama face Croatia next as they look to recover from this gut-wrenching opening loss at FIFA World Cup 2026.