Croatia secured their place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 after edging Ghana 2-1 in an entertaining Group L finale at Philadelphia Stadium.
The victory saw the 2018 finalists finish second behind England, while Ghana settled for third place and kept their own knockout hopes alive as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
Both sides entered the final group match with plenty still to play for. Croatia needed victory to guarantee automatic qualification, while Ghana looked to strengthen their position among the best third-placed nations.
Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz made three changes to the side that drew with England. Elisha Owusu, competitive debutant Derrick Luckassen and Kamaldeen Sulemana came into the starting lineup in place of Caleb Yirenkyi, Jerome Opoku and Inaki Williams. Jordan Ayew also made his ninth World Cup appearance, moving behind only Asamoah Gyan and Andre Ayew in Ghana’s all-time appearance list at the tournament.
The opening exchanges produced very little excitement. Neither team managed a shot or even a touch inside the opposition penalty area during the opening 15 minutes as both sides approached the contest cautiously.
Croatia finally threatened in the 17th minute. Martin Baturina picked out Nikola Vlasic on the edge of the area, and the former West Ham United midfielder drilled a low effort beyond Benjamin Asare. However, the ball struck the base of the post before bouncing to safety.
Luka Modric continued to dictate play from midfield, and Croatia came close again in the 30th minute. His inviting free kick found Ivan Perisic, whose flicked header failed to trouble Asare as the Ghana goalkeeper gathered comfortably.
The breakthrough arrived just a minute later. Mateo Kovacic found Petar Sucic in space outside the penalty area, and the Inter Milan midfielder took full advantage. With no defender closing him down, Sucic fired a precise low strike through a crowd of players and into the bottom left corner for his second international goal.
The goal continued Croatia’s impressive World Cup record after scoring first. They have now avoided defeat in every World Cup match in which they opened the scoring since their loss to Brazil in 2014.
Ghana struggled to respond. Before this game, they had not managed a first-half shot in any of their three group matches, and Croatia’s organised defence continued to frustrate them.
Their first meaningful opportunity finally arrived in the 40th minute. Antoine Semenyo collected the ball on the right, drove past his marker and unleashed a powerful low effort that flashed just wide of the far post.
Croatia deservedly led 1-0 at half time after controlling much of the opening period. Vlasic had earlier struck the woodwork before Sucic’s excellent long-range finish separated the two teams, while Ghana only threatened once through Semenyo late in the half.
The statistics highlighted Ghana’s attacking struggles even further. They became only the second team this century, after Japan in 2022, to complete a World Cup group-stage first half without recording a single shot on target.
Ghana almost created a clear opening in the 63rd minute after Kamaldeen Sulemana intercepted possession in midfield. The attack quickly became a three-on-two situation, but instead of releasing the unmarked Jordan Ayew, Sulemana chose to play Semenyo. Croatia recovered comfortably and cleared the danger.
The Black Stars thought they had equalised in the 73rd minute when Ernest Nuamah floated an excellent free kick into the box and Derrick Luckassen volleyed home at the far post. The assistant referee initially raised the offside flag, but after a lengthy four-minute VAR review, referee Tobias Stieler overturned the decision and awarded the goal.
Luckassen’s strike carried extra significance. At 30 years and 359 days old, he became Ghana’s second-oldest World Cup goalscorer behind Andre Ayew. His goal also marked the 200th of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Croatia responded brilliantly. Benjamin Asare produced a superb save in the 82nd minute to deny Mario Pasalic after the midfielder unleashed a powerful drive from inside the box.
The resulting corner proved decisive just one minute later. Modric delivered a perfectly weighted cross into the six-yard box, where Vlasic rose highest to guide a header into the bottom corner via the inside of the post. The assist was Modric’s first of the tournament, while Vlasic’s goal restored Croatia’s lead at 2-1.
Croatia safely saw out the closing stages to secure an important victory and book their place in the knockout rounds as Group L runners-up. England finished top of the group, Croatia claimed second place, Ghana finished third and Panama ended the campaign in fourth.
Although Ghana narrowly missed automatic qualification, their third-place finish was enough to keep their World Cup dream alive. The result also ended Scotland’s hopes of reaching the Round of 32, as they could no longer finish among the tournament’s top third-placed teams.
