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2026 FIFA World Cup: Ghana risk facing Ronaldo’s Portugal after Croatia result
Poor game management cost Ghana as they suffered defeat to Croatia.
Ghana suffered a 2-1defeat to a Luka Modric-inspired Croatia, which ensured that they will go through a more difficult path in the knockout round.
Slightly against the run of play, Croatia took the lead through Petar Sucic’s brilliant strike. Ghana struck back through Derrick Luckassen in the 73rd minute before Nikola Vlasic headed in the late winner for Zlatko Dalic’s side.
Coming into this encounter, the stakes were incredibly high for Croatia. Sitting on three points, they knew that failing to win could leave them vulnerable to elimination, depending on other results across the tournament.
Ghana, sitting on four points with a strong defensive record, had already secured enough points to advance but were fighting to secure a higher seed.
Croatia, led by their talismanic captain Luka Modric dominated possession early on. Their tactical setup emphasised patient buildup, aiming to break down a Ghanaian defence that had remarkably not conceded a single goal in their first two matches of the tournament.
The European side almost drew first blood when Nikola Vlašić unleashed a fierce strike from outside the box, only to watch it crash agonisingly off the post with Ghanaian goalkeeper Benjamin Asare completely beaten.
Ghana then assumed some sort of control and took the game to Croatia. Capitalising on the space vacated, Croatia exploited gainfully and took the lead.
Twenty-two-year-old midfielder Petar Sučić found a pocket of space on the edge of the area and rifled a brilliant, low-driven strike from distance.
The ball squeezed past Asare and through the legs of defender Derrick Luckassen, breaking Ghana’s tournament clean sheet and putting Croatia up 1-0.
Trailing, Carlos Queiroz made immediate adjustments at the interval, introducing Abdul Fatawu and Kojo Peprah Oppong for Elisha Owusu and Jonas Adjetey.
The substitutions breathed instant life into the Black Stars. Fatawu terrorised the right flank, whipping dangerous crosses into the box and firing a dipping shot just over the crossbar in the 47th minute.
As the game opened up, the physical toll became evident, with Croatian veteran Ivan Perišić picking up a 68th-minute yellow card.
Ghana’s persistence finally shattered the Croatian resolve. Following sustained pressure and the introduction of fresh attacking legs, defender Derrick Luckassen redeemed his earlier defensive error by finding the back of the net.
Following a brief VAR review to ensure the play was clean, the goal stood, levelling the tie at 1-1 and swinging the pendulum back in Ghana’s favour.
A draw was not enough to guarantee Croatia the second spot in the group, forcing Dalić to push his team forward as time ticked away.
Just as Ghana looked poised to hold on for the draw, Croatia’s elite experience shone through. Nikola Vlašić received a well-weighted cross from his captain and headed home, restoring Croatia’s advantage at 2-1 and sending the bench into delirium.
The final moments saw desperate attempts from Ghana, resulting in a 90th-minute yellow card for Oppong, but Croatia professionally managed the stoppage time to secure the win.
What this means for Group L
For Croatia, bouncing back from an opening defeat to England to secure back-to-back victories over Panama and Ghana helped them advance to the knockout stages as group runners-up. They will face the vanquished between Portugal and Colombia.
For Ghana, while dropping points in the finale prevents them from claiming the second spot, their job was already done.
Sitting comfortably with four points, they advance to the Round of 32 as one of the highest-ranked third-place teams. However, the defeat against Croatia sets them on a difficult course, as they are set to face Portugal should the Europeans justify their favourites’ title in the clash against Colombia.
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