Croatia 2-1 Ghana: Queiroz’s Ghana end 16-year World Cup knockout drought

Croatia edged Ghana 2-1 successful a tense Group L decider successful Philadelphia, but the effect yet mattered little than the communicative it produced - due to the fact that the Black Stars had already booked their spot successful the knockout rounds earlier kick-off.

Ghana arrived astatine Philadelphia Stadium knowing their 4 points from wins implicit Panama and a draw with England had already secured their progression. What was astatine involvement was position, not survival. They mislaid it, but the bigger representation remained intact.

Petar Sucic’s long-range opener and Nikola Vlasic’s precocious victor sandwiched a melodramatic Derrick Luckassen extremity that had concisely levelled the contention and sent the Black Stars faithful into a frenzy. 

Croatia beforehand arsenic Group L runners-up down England. Ghana spell done arsenic 1 of the champion third-place teams.

Croatia 2-1 Ghana: What conscionable happened?

Croatia were the much composed broadside successful the opening exchanges, controlling possession done the acquainted axis of Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic and creating the game’s archetypal existent openings. 

Vlasic crashed a almighty effort against the station successful the 17th infinitesimal earlier Sucic settled Croatian nerves with a superb long-range onslaught successful the 31st minute, leaving the goalkeeper helpless.

Ghana pushed for the equaliser aft fractional time, increasing into the crippled arsenic Croatia sat deeper. Their persistence was rewarded successful the 73rd infinitesimal erstwhile Ernest Nuamah’s floated escaped footwear was turned successful astatine the backmost station by Luckassen, with VAR confirming aft a lengthy reappraisal that Kwasi Sibo, contempt appearing offside successful the build-up, was not interfering with play.

Vlasic had different ideas. The Torino midfielder arrived precocious into the container successful the 83rd infinitesimal to reconstruct Croatia’s lead, and this clip determination was nary mode backmost for Ghana.

Croatia 2-1 Ghana: The large talking point

The Black Stars arrived successful Philadelphia already done to the knockout rounds - their 4 points capable to warrant progression careless of what happened against Croatia. 

The lucifer was astir finishing 2nd alternatively than staying alive, and successful that sense, the defeat, though frustrating, changes precise little.

It is simply a unusual and bittersweet feeling. Ghana lose, driblet to 3rd successful Group L, and spell done anyway.

The decision whitethorn sting. But the result - a archetypal knockout signifier quality since 2010 is the 1 Ghanaian supporters person been waiting for since Asamoah Gyan’s punishment miss against Uruguay successful Johannesburg 16 years ago, a infinitesimal truthful achy it became portion of the country’s sporting identity. 

Croatia 2-1 Ghana: The bigger picture

The past clip Ghana reached the World Cup past 16, they were 1 handball and 1 missed punishment from a semi-final. 

The 2010 squad - featuring Michael Essien, Kevin-Prince Boateng and a young Asamoah Gyan was wide considered the astir talented procreation of Ghanaian footballers. What followed was 16 years of near-misses, eliminations and rebuilding.

This Ghana broadside is antithetic successful character, if not yet successful pedigree. Jordan Ayew, present 33, is the past surviving nexus to that epoch and has carried tremendous work crossed this radical stage. 

Around him, a younger procreation of Antoine Semenyo, Ernest Nuamah, and Kamaldeen Sulemana has shown capable to suggest the Black Stars are genuinely gathering toward something.

Qualifying contempt decision volition lone sharpen that hunger. This is simply a squad with a constituent to beryllium successful the knockout rounds, and 1 that knows they person already defied expectations conscionable by being there.

Croatia 2-1 Ghana: What happens next?

Ghana volition look the victor of Group K successful the Round of 32 - either Portugal oregon Colombia - a gully that could pit them against immoderate of the tournament’s astir formidable opposition.

Croatia, arsenic Group L runners-up, volition look the runner-up of Group K. Modric and institution volition cognize their way successful the coming hours.

For Ghana, the adjacent fewer days volition beryllium astir recovery, reflection and mentation and, for a fanbase that has waited 16 years for this moment, a large woody of celebration.

Croatia 2-1 Ghana: The cardinal stat

Ghana person reached the World Cup knockout signifier for the archetypal clip successful 16 years, returning to this signifier for conscionable the 2nd clip successful their past - and doing truthful contempt losing their last radical game.