Croatia hold off Ghana to finish second in group as both teams advance to knockout stage

These two nations collided in Philadelphia knowing that a draw would suit both of their agendas in this final Group L clash. Ghana had already sealed a place in the knockout stages, while Zlatko Dalic’s men knew a point would also see them progress as one of the eight best third-placed sides.

It was therefore unsurprising that a cagey opening ensued, with neither side barely getting out of first gear inside the opening 15 minutes. Nikola Vlasic had the game’s first meaningful chance when his drilled long-range effort clipped the outside of the post, before Marin Pongracic headed over from Luka Modric’s free-kick. 

However, the game sprung into life when Mateo Kovacic teed up Petar Sucic to fire home a superb long-range strike into the bottom corner.

It was a goal which propelled Croatia to the top of the group, with Panama and England locked in a scoreless draw 97 miles up the road in New Jersey. The Black Stars were offering very little going forward, but Antoine Semenyo came close to restoring parity when his angled strike went just wide of the far post.

Carlos Queiroz brought on Abdul Fatawu ahead of the restart, and the Leicester City winger almost had an immediate impact when his speculative left-footed strike flew just over the bar.

Developments elsewhere would come into play just past the hour mark, with Croatia slipping down into second place after Jude Bellingham’s opener for England against Panama. And when Harry Kane doubled their advantage five minutes later, this was starting to look like a battle for second place.

Ghana restored parity but were made to endure a lengthy VAR check when Derrick Luckassen ghosted in at the far post to meet Ernest Nuamah’s free-kick with a clinical first-time finish, with the officials determining that Kwasi Sibo did not impact the play from an offside position. It was a brief deserved reward for an improved second-half display, moving Queiroz’s men up into second spot.

But Croatia would re-establish their slender lead when Vlasic met Modrić’s corner with a downward header, meaning Ghana were level for only 10 minutes. It was a goal which was ultimately enough for Dalic’s side to claim all three points and set up a meeting with the second-placed team in Group K in Toronto on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Ghana go through in third, and will face the winners of that group on Friday evening in Kansas City.