Croatia is victorious in Group L, finally against Ghana, as both teams advance to the Round of 32

By Mario Amaya 

Philadelphia, PA- On a cloudy Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia, both Croatia and Ghana played to see their positioning in Group L. For Croatia, a win would guarantee them a spot in the round of 32, while for Ghana, a spot in the round of 32 was all but guaranteed, even with a loss, as they would get in as one of the best 3rd place teams in the tournament. 

In front of a sold-out crowd at Philadelphia Stadium, Croatia came out victorious, defeating Ghana 2-1 and finishing second in the group with 6 points, just behind group leaders England, who secured first place with a victory over Panama. While Ghana finished in 3rd place with 4 points. 

Croatia would open up the scoring in the 31st minute, after both Mateo Kovačić and Luka Modrić. The AC Milan midfielder would play the ball to Petar Sučić, who took a long-distance shot, placing the ball in the left hand corner of the net to open up the scoring, much to the joy of the Croatian fans in the stands. 

Ghana tied the game in the 73rd minute off an Ernest Nuamah that found center back Derrick Luckassen inside the box. Lukaseen redirected the ball to the right-hand side of 

Dominik Livaković's goal. The referee originally blew the play dead due to an offside. However, after a VAR review, he reversed the call and validated the goal. 

Croatia would get the game-winning goal just seven minutes from time. Modrić would be involved once again, as he sent a corner kick inside the box that found Nikola Vlašić inside the box. Vlašić connected with the ball in the middle of the box and put his header past Benjamin Asare for the game-winning goal. 

Croatia will now face Portugal in the round of 32 on July 2nd in Toronto, while Ghana will face Colombia in the final match of the round of 32 on July 3rd in Kansas City.