Colombia Put an End to Ghana World Cup Run
Colombia struck the only goal in the 14th minute when Jhon Arias converted from close range after a cross from Luis Suárez, who had been introduced early as a substitute for the injured Córdoba.
High Tempo
Colombia booked their ticket in the Round of 16 after a 1–0 victory over Ghana in the early hours of Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The result sets up a Colombia clash with Switzerland on July 7 in Vancouver.
The match kicked off at 02:30 BST and began at a high tempo, with Ghana’s Thomas Partey testing from distance early on, while both sides were disrupted by early injuries.
Colombia lost striker Jhon Córdoba to a groin problem, while Ghana defender Marvin Senaya also went off with a hamstring injury inside the opening minutes.
Colombia struck the only goal in the 14th minute when Jhon Arias converted from close range after a cross from Luis Suárez, who had been introduced early as a substitute for the injured Córdoba.
The goal gave Colombia control of possession and territory for much of the contest, with Ghana struggling to build sustained attacks and failing to register a shot on target.
Luis Díaz went close on several occasions, including a missed opportunity shortly after the opener and another effort saved by Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi. Colombia also had a second goal ruled out for offside early in the second half.
At the break, Colombia led 1–0 and continued to dominate the game after the halftime recess. James Rodríguez was introduced before being replaced by Richard Ríos as Colombia reinforced midfield control. Meanwhile, while substitute Juan Quintero added creativity and nearly extended the lead with a long-range effort.
Today’s performance was below average, no sense of urgency. We did not have men in the box.
—Asamoah Gyan
Ghana introduced Inaki Williams, Abdul Fatawu and others in search of an equaliser, but they continued to struggle in the final third.
Thomas Partey and Antoine Semenyo both attempted efforts from distance, but Colombia’s defence remained solid and goalkeeper Camilo Vargas was not seriously tested.
Former Ghana international Asamoah Gyan, speaking on SuperSport, criticised the Black Stars’ performance.
“Today’s performance was below average, no sense of urgency. We did not have men in the box,” Gyan said.
Colombia saw out six minutes of added time comfortably to clear their way forward. Despite the narrow scoreline, they were the better side throughout and never looked in danger of losing control of the match.
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