Croatia come from behind to beat Ghana 2-1 with a late Vlašić strike

Croatia beat Ghana 2-1 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, one of the US venues for the 2026 World Cup holding 68,324 spectators and home of the Philadelphia Eagles, to close the third round of Group L. The win came at this 48-team World Cup staged by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Zlatko Dalić's side struck first. In the 31st minute, Petar Sučić put Croatia ahead from a Mateo Kovačić assist, the reward for a controlled opening half. The young midfielder, later named player of the match, scored a key goal to steer the game.

Ghana, however, refused to give up. In the 73rd minute, Derrick Luckassen levelled from an Ernest Nuamah pass and restored parity in a game that had become complicated for Carlos Queiroz's men. The goal forced Croatia to redouble their efforts late on.

Experience settled it. In the 83rd minute, Nikola Vlašić completed the comeback after an assist from the ageless Luka Modrić, with Dalić set up in a 4-2-3-1 and Dominik Livaković in goal. Queiroz had gone with a Ghanaian 4-1-4-1 that fell just short. The match produced two bookings: Ivan Perišić (68') for Croatia and Kojo Peprah Oppong (90+4') for Ghana.

With this win, Croatia close Group L second on six points and advance to the round of 32, behind a leading England. Ghana, despite the defeat, finish third on four points and qualify as one of the eight best third-placed teams at the 2026 World Cup.