PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Croatia earned a spot in the World Cup knockout round, getting goals from Nikola Vlašić and Luka Sučić to beat Ghana 2-1 on Saturday.
Ghana had already clinched a spot in the round of 32 for the first time since 2010.
Vlašić headed home Luka Modrić’s corner in the 83rd minute to score the winner and put Croatia back in contention after it finished third in 2022. The win means Croatia finished second behind England in Group L, with
Ghana third.
Sučić scored in the 31st minute for Croatia on an absolute rocket from outside the box for his second career international goal.
Derrick Luckassen scored the equalizer that —- after a brief review — sent thousands of fans wearing yellow into a frenzy. Luckassen, brother of the Netherlands’ Brian Brobbey, found the bottom right corner in the 73rd minute to make it 1-1 and the first of the five group stage games in Philadelphia where both teams scored.
Ghana goalie Benjamin Asare briefly kept it a tie game on a diving stop off the top of his hand that sent the ball over the net but failed only a minute later to stop Vlašić.
Vlašić wagged his tongue and ran toward his teammates with outstretched arms in celebration.
Sučić helped Croatia take a 1-0 lead into halftime in a game where a couple of near misses prevented it from building a more comfortable lead. Nikola Vlašić bonked one of the posts earlier in the half, and Modric’s cross on a free kick into the box was headed over the bar by Marin Pongračić.
Ghana seemed poised to tie the game late in the half when Antoine Semenyo beat his man and fired a shot that slid across the Kentucky bluegrass and went just wide of the left post.
Semenyo was one of the few prominent attackers in this tournament to go without a goal in the first three games. He finished third in the Premier League with 17 goals last season and was one of Manchester City’s best players after it bought him from Bournemouth, yet couldn’t connect in the World up against Panama, England and even Croatia’s backline.
Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland have dazzled in the World Cup where every game has seemed like a showcase for the tournament’s top stars.
The good news for Semenyo is, there’s at least one more shot for him to bust through for Ghana.
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