Croatia and Ghana met in the final match of Group L at the World Cup, this time in Philadelphia, with the result set to decide who would finish second and third in the group.

The math heading into the match was straightforward — Croatia would advance with anything other than a loss. A draw would be enough to secure qualification, while a win would bring extra security and peace of mind heading into the knockout stage. A defeat, on the other hand, would leave Croatia’s fate uncertain and dependent on results elsewhere.

Coach Zlatko Dalić opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation against Ghana, making a handful of changes compared to the side that faced Panama. Nikola Vlašić was the new addition to the midfield, while Gvardiol was on the bench.

Lineups

Croatia: Livaković; Perišić, Šutalo, Pongračić, Stanišić – Modrić, Kovačić – Baturina, Vlašić, P. Sučić – Budimir

Ghana: Asare; Adjetey, Mensah, Luckassen, Senaya – Partey, Sibo, Owosu – Semenyo, Ayew, Sulemana

Match report

The first 10 minutes of the match saw both sides feeling each other out, holding possession with no real threats created until Perišić launched a ball into the box that went straight into the hands of the Ghana keeper.

Croatia produced their first real moment of quality in the 17th minute, as Baturina found Vlašić on the right, who took his chance with a shot from outside the box — only to see it cannon off the post.

Croatia was awarded a free kick in a good position around 40 meters out in the 20th minute. Modrić whipped it into the box and found the head of Pongračić, but the centre-back’s effort sailed over the crossbar. Vlašić threatened again in the 23rd minute with another cross into the danger area, but the Ghana keeper got there ahead of Budimir.

Budimir went down in the penalty area in the 24th minute, but the referee waved play on, and a hydration break followed shortly after.

Croatia broke the deadlock in the 31st minute. Petar Sučić struck from outside the box and found the bottom left corner, with Mateo Kovačić credited with the assist. The goal, combined with England and Panama playing out a 0-0 draw elsewhere, sent Croatia top of the group.

Modrić stepped up to take another free kick in the 39th minute, this time finding Perišić’s head, but the effort drifted into the keeper’s grasp. By that stage, Croatia had racked up five attempts on goal. At the other end, Ghana came close to an equalizer in the 40th minute, with Semenyo’s effort flashing wide of the post.

Three minutes of stoppage time were signaled. In the second minute of added time, Modrić’s cross found Pongračić, but the Ghana defense scrambled it clear. Moments later, Baturina curled in from the left with three Croatian players lurking in the box, but none of them could quite get a touch on it as the half came to a close.

It was 1-0 for Croatia at halftime.

The second half got underway with Ghana making two changes, withdrawing Adjetey and Owusu for Fatawu and Oppong.

The substitution made an immediate impact. In the 47th minute, Fatawu cut in from the right onto his left foot and curled a dangerous effort towards goal, though it ultimately flew over the bar.

Fatawu was at it again in the 50th minute, breaking down the right and whipping a sharp ball across the face of Croatia’s goal. Fortunately for the Vatreni, none of his teammates were able to get on the end of it.

In the England-Panama game, Jude Bellingham scored to make it 1-0 in the 62nd minute, meaning England jumped back to first place and Croatia to second. In the 67th minute, Kane made it 2-0 for England.

Now, back to the Croatia game. In the 66th minute, Dalić made his first substitution – Budimir came off for Matanović. One minute later, Perišić was given the first yellow card of the game.

In the 74th minute, Ghana got their chance to level the score. Derrick Luckassen nailed a left-footed shot from close range to the bottom right corner. The goal was awarded following the VAR Review for a potential offside.

In the 78th minute, Kovačić came out for Pašalić, who nailed a shot on target a minute later. A stellar save from the Ghana keeper kept it 1-1.

And in the 83rd minute, Croatia retook the lead. A Nikola Vlašić header from the center of the box went into the bottom left corner. Modrić got the assist. It was 2-1 and Croatia was back in 2nd place!

In the 88th minute, Baturina came off for Marco Pašalić and Vlašić came off for Gvardiol.

With this result, Croatia finishes second in Group L and plays against the second-placed team in Group K (Colombia or Portugal) in Toronto on July 2nd. Colombia and Portugal kick off today at 7:30 pm in Miami.

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