Belgium defeat Croatia as Ghana’s group opponents falter in Rijeka friendly

Ghana’s final 2026 FIFA World Cup group opponents Croatia suffered a setback in their preparations after falling 2-0 to Belgium in a pre-tournament friendly on Tuesday in Rijeka.

The result comes as both teams fine-tune their squads ahead of the global showpiece, where Croatia are grouped with Ghana and are scheduled to face the Black Stars in their last group match on June 27.

Belgium, who will open their World Cup campaign against Egypt on June 15, took control of the contest through Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans, who opened the scoring in the 38th minute to give the visitors a 1-0 halftime lead.

Napoli forward Romelu Lukaku, returning to international duty after more than a year out due to injury, came off the bench and sealed the win in stoppage time with Belgium’s second goal, his 90th international strike.

The 33-year-old has also struggled for fitness at club level, managing only 64 minutes of football this season because of a hip problem.

Croatia, World Cup semifinalists in 2022, fielded a strong side led by captain Luka Modric, who played with a protective mask due to injury concerns.

Modric went close just before halftime, while Osasuna striker Ante Budimir hit the crossbar early in the second half as Croatia pushed for an equaliser.

Despite flashes of promise, the hosts were unable to break down Belgium’s defence and will now look to regroup ahead of their final warm-up match against Slovenia on Sunday.

Croatia begin their World Cup campaign against England on June 17 before closing their group fixtures against Ghana in a clash that could prove decisive for qualification.