Croatia edge Ghana to reach World Cup knockouts with hard-fought win

Croatia held their nerve to beat Ghana 2-1 and book a place in the World Cup knockout stages after a tense and finely balanced Group-stage decider that was defined as much by defensive discipline as attacking quality.

• Croatia will play with . , on .
• Ghana will play with . , on .

Croatia

• Dominik Livaković (6.5)
• Josip Stanišić (6.2)
• Josip Šutalo (7.2)
• Marin Pongračić (6.6)
• Ivan Perišić (6.7)
• Luka Modrić (7.9)
• Mateo Kovačić (6.9)
• Petar Sučić (8.7)
• Nikola Vlašić (7.3)
• Martin Baturina (6.9)
• Ante Budimir (6)

Ghana

Substitutions:

Croatia

• Ante Budimir (Igor Matanović, 66)
• Mateo Kovačić (Mario Pasalic, 78)
• Martin Baturina (Marco Pasalic, 88)
• Nikola Vlašić (Joško Gvardiol, 88)

Ghana

• Jonas Adjei Adjetey (Kojo Peprah Oppong, 46)
• Elisha Owusu (Issahaku Abdul Fatawu, 46)
• Jordan Pierre Ayew (Solomon Brandon Michael Clarke Thomas-Asante, 71)
• Kamaldeen Sulemana (Ernest Nuamah Appiah, 71)
• Kwasi Sibo (Caleb Marfo Yirenkyi, 85)

Ball possession:

Zlatko Dalić’s side, who had 54% of the ball and outshot Ghana in key moments, did just enough to close out victory despite sustained pressure from the Black Stars, who leave the tournament after a spirited but ultimately frustrating campaign.

Passes:

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Defense:

### Croatia sharper in both boxes

Face-to-face:

In a match where the margins were tight, Croatia’s greater accuracy in the final third proved decisive.

Fouls:

Yellow cards:

• Ivan Perišić (Croatia) at 68 minute
• Kojo Peprah Oppong (Ghana) at 90 minute

The last five games (including this match):

• Croatia –
• Ghana –

Top 5 World Cup scorers:

1. Masour Ousmane Dembélé (3, )
2. Pape Alassane Gueye (2, )
3. Leandro Trossard (2, )
4. Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior (2, )
5. Nicolas Pépé (2, )

Line-ups:

Next games:

• Croatia will play with . , on .
• Ghana will play with . , on .