PHILADELPHIA:
Croatia advanced to the last 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after beating Ghana 1-2 in a thrilling encounter, while Ghana also advanced to the next round, joining the best third-placed teams.
In the Group L match played in Philadelphia, Croatia played aggressively from the start. In the 34th minute, the midfielder Petar Sucic gave his team the lead with Mateo Kovacic’s smart pass and this became the goal of the first half.
In the second half, Ghana tried hard to come back and in the 73rd minute, defender Derrick Lakason put the ball into the net from Ernest Nwamah’s cross.
After nearly four minutes of review by the video assistant referee, the goal was ruled correct.
Ghana’s pressure mounted after the equalizer but in the 83rd minute, Nikola Vlasic scored the decisive goal with a fine header from veteran captain Luka Modric’s fine cross to give Croatia a valuable win.
With the win, Croatia finished second behind England in Group L and reached the knockout stage, while England retained top spot by defeating Panama in their final group match.
Ghana, on the other hand, managed to reach the last 32 despite the defeat, while Scotland were eliminated from the competition for the knock-out stages after the result.
