Colombia kept their perfect record in the 2026 World Cup by defeating Ghana to advance to the Round of 16. With a commanding display over Ghana at Kansas City Stadium, they demonstrated they might be tough tournament rivals.
Ahead of Portugal, they topped Group K and turned too hard for the Black Stars. First-half scorer Jhon Arias guarantees a following round match against Switzerland.
Ghana’s Thomas Partey almost scored early with a long shot, but Colombia rapidly gained control, motivated by their encouraging supporters. Rising down the right side, Luis Suarez, who took over for the hurt Jhon Cordoba, set up Arias for a flawless corner net finish.
Ghana was fortunate at halftime not to be down by more goals. From inside the box, Luis Diaz missed an opportunity and goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi made an excellent save against Johan Mojica’s header.
Though it was rejected for a tight offside, Diaz scored in the 56th minute. Later, when he aimed right at Ati-Zigi when he was uninvited in the box, he lost yet another opportunity.
Colombia was content with one goal as their defence remained impenetrable, and Ghana was not permitted any shots on target. Targeting a quarter-finals berth against Switzerland, Colombia will compete again on July 7 in Vancouver.
With their movement and passing, I believe Colombia controlled the game more effectively. This wore us down and made it challenging to pick up the ball and advance. Though we pushed with heart and worked to generate opportunities, our last passes fell short of the standard necessary in this game. Ghana’s head coach, Carlos Queiroz, said that the better team generally won.
Colombia goal: Arias (14)
