- Safiu Kehinde
Ghana has advanced to the knockout stage of the ongoing 2026 FIFA World despite suffering 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final Group L fixture.
The Black Stars gifted Croatia a top spot finish and automatic qualification for the Round of 32 with England also finishing second with a 2-0 victory over Panama, advancing after a strong display.
Croatia opened the scoring in the 31st minute through Petar Sucic, who finished Mateo Kovacic’s well-timed assist.
The European side dominated possession in the opening half, creating several opportunities against Ghana’s defence.
Veteran midfielder Luka Modric controlled proceedings from midfield, helping Croatia maintain their attacking rhythm.
Ghana struggled to penetrate Croatia’s disciplined backline in spite of their attempts to create openings before the interval.
After the restart, Ghana improved and found the equaliser in the 73rd minute through Daryl Luckassen.
Luckassen converted Ernest Nuamah’s assist to restore Ghana’s hopes of securing a positive result.
Croatia defender Ivan Perisic received a yellow card as the encounter became increasingly tense.
However, Croatia regained the lead eight minutes from time through Nikola Vlasic’s decisive strike.
Vlasic scored after receiving a pass from Modric to complete a crucial victory for Croatia.
In spite of losing to Croatia, Ghana accumulated four points during the group stage to finish third.
The tally proved enough for Ghana to advance as one of the best third-placed teams.
They are billed to face Colombia who topped the Group K table to qualify for the Round of 32.