Nikola Vlašić’s late header secured Croatia’s 2-1 victory over Ghana in Philadelphia, with both teams advancing to the Round of 32
Croatia defeated Ghana 2-1 at Philadelphia Stadium on Saturday, with a late header from Nikola Vlašić securing the victory as both teams advanced to the Round of 32.
Petar Sučić shattered Ghana’s perfect tournament defensive record in the 31st minute, launching a beautiful low-driven strike from outside the box into the bottom corner. Ghana struck back in the 73rd minute when Derrick Luckassen—brother of Netherlands forward Brian Brobbey—guided home a volley from Ernest Nuamah’s free-kick following a lengthy four-minute VAR verification.
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Super-sub Vlašić rose above the Ghanaian defence in the 83rd minute to plant a decisive header into the net, converting a pinpoint corner delivery from Luka Modrić.
Croatia finished with nine shots, four on target, while Ghana managed six shots, one on target. Croatian passing accuracy stood at 92 percent compared to Ghana’s 88 percent.
The match marked the first-ever senior competitive international meeting between Croatia and Ghana. With this victory, Croatia kept alive an impressive historical trend, remaining undefeated against African opposition in World Cup history.
According to a report by Accra Street Journal, the three points allowed Croatia to leapfrog Ghana into the Group L runner-up spot with six points. Ghana also safely advanced to the Round of 32 as a top-ranked squad. Both teams now await the finalization of other group tables to lock in their specific knockout stage opponents.
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Before Kickoff
Venue and Kickoff Time
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- Stadium: Lincoln Financial Philadelphia Stadium (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Kickoff: 21:00 GMT
⚽ Pre-Match Analysis
📋 Predicted Lineups
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- Croatia Starting XI: Livaković; Stanišić, Šutalo, Pongračić, Gvardiol; Modrić, Kovačić; Pašalić, Baturina, Perišić; Budimir.
- Ghana Starting XI: Asare; Senaya, Adjetey, Opoku, Mensah; Sibo, Thomas Partey; Semenyo, Yirenkyi, Jordan Ayew; Iñaki Williams.
📊 Match Facts and Head-to-Head (H2H)
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- H2H Record: This is the first competitive senior tournament fixture between Croatia and Ghana.
- Key Fact: Ghana center-back Jerome Opoku and midfielder Thomas Partey both logged 7.6 match ratings on matchday two.
Source: Accra Street Journal
Last Updated on June 27, 2026 by Samuel Kwame Boadu
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Samuel Kwame Boadu is a Ghanaian media entrepreneur and storyteller with a passion for amplifying urban voices and uncovering everyday truths. He is the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Accra Street Journal, a dynamic digital platform dedicated to capturing the pulse of Ghana’s capital—its people, culture, challenges, business, sports and innovations.
