Ghana falls 2-1 to Croatia despite booking round of 32 spot

The Black Stars of Ghana suffered a 2-1 defeat in their Group L fixture at the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 on Saturday, June 27, 2026.

Despite the loss, Ghana had already secured qualification to the knockout stage of the tournament.

The Black Stars entered the match with their place in the Round of 32 already guaranteed after results elsewhere confirmed that four points from their opening two matches were enough to secure progression under FIFA's expanded tournament format.

Croatia, however, needed a positive result to keep their qualification hopes alive and therefore made a brighter start to the game.

Croatia enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and took the lead through Petar Sucic, whose powerful long-range strike in the 31st minute beat Benjamin Asare to give his side a deserved advantage before halftime.

Ghana responded strongly after the break, with the introduction of Abdul Fatawu Issahaku injecting pace and urgency into the attack. The Black Stars created a number of promising opportunities before eventually finding the equaliser.

Derrick Luckassen brought Ghana level with 17 minutes left on the clock, turning home Ernest Nuamah’s well-delivered free-kick, with the goal standing following a lengthy VAR review.

However, Croatia restored their lead late in the game after Mario Pasalic forced a save from Asare from a corner. The resulting set-piece was not properly dealt with by the Black Stars, allowing Nikola Vlasic to fire home the decisive goal and secure all three points for the Europeans.

The Round of 32 draw and Ghana's next opponents will be confirmed once the remaining group-stage fixtures are completed.

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