Nikola Vlasic hits late winner as Croatia beat Ghana 2-1 to qualify
Croatia sealed their place in the World Cup last 32 as Nikola Vlasic’s late header secured a tense 2-1 victory over Ghana in Philadelphia.
Nikola Vlasic scored an 83rd-minute winner as Croatia battled past Ghana to secure their place in the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Zlatko Dalic’s side leapfrogged their already-qualified opponents into second place in Group L after a tense encounter at the Philadelphia Stadium.
Petar Sucic had given the 2018 runners-up a well-deserved first-half lead with a stinging 30-yard drive that zipped past Benjamin Asare.
Ghana, managed by Carlos Queiroz, were largely passive before the break but improved dramatically in the second half, deservedly drawing level through defender Derrick Luckassen’s close-range finish following a lengthy VAR review for offside.
But Croatia’s veteran midfielder Luka Modric helped his side regroup, delivering a perfectly flighted corner for Vlasic to glance home off the inside of the post and set up a last-32 clash in Toronto on Thursday.
The result means Croatia finish second in the pool behind group winners England, who defeated Panama 2-0, while Ghana progress to the knockout rounds as one of the best third-placed teams.
Croatia had shown their intent early on when Vlasic struck the outside of the post with a low effort from distance, and they hit the front when 22-year-old Inter Milan midfielder Sucic was afforded space to let fly from distance. His shot flew through a crowd of bodies to make him the second-youngest Croatian scorer in World Cup history.
Antoine Semenyo offered Ghana’s main attacking threat, pulling a shot wide just before the interval, before the Black Stars introduced winger Abdul Fatawu to spark a much more aggressive second-half display.
The pressure paid off when Luckassen turned home Ernest Nuamah’s set-piece delivery, but the African side were eventually undone by poor marking at a corner as Vlasic stole in completely unmarked to settle the contest..
