Ghana lack firepower, match ends without fireworks, Colombia through

The first-ever round of 32 at a FIFA World Cup officially came to an end tonight with Colombia’s 1-0 win against Ghana at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The inaugural round of 32 was full of shocks, twists, and upsets but Colombia ensured that there would be none of that in their game as they defended an early goal by Jhon Arias all the way to the end of regular time. For a round that began with Canada’s last minute winner in regular time, it’s almost ironic that Colombia progressed in almost the exact opposite way. 

After Egypt and Australia went to a penalty shootout and Cabo Verde pushed Argentina to their limit, everyone was looking at Colombia and Ghana with a similar sense of anticipation. It was such a great matchup on paper, as Colombia had come out of the group stages as one of the best teams going forward, while Ghana had only conceded in one of their three prior games. However, it became clear early on that Colombia’s defence was almost at par with their offence, while Ghana was clearly lacking in their attacking options. 

While this whole Colombian frontline has been a joy to watch over the course of this World Cup, their left side has been an especially bright spot in their attack. Led in the front through star player Luis Diaz, that left side also consists of goalscorer Jhon Arias, occasionally midfield powerhouse Jefferson Lerma, and leftback Johan Mojica. Diaz and Mojica are constantly bombing up and down that left side, exploiting any inch of space that defenders are willing to give and being a constant source of concern for the opposition. 

However, Colombia’s opener, in the 15th minute, began on the right wing, with Luis Suarez charging up a cross that was initially blocked by Gideon Mensah, who unfortunately then lost awareness of where the ball fell. Suarez, jumping on Mensah’s confusion, fires a second cross that flies just above Luis Diaz’s head but then falls perfectly to the feet of Arias, who makes such easy work of the finish. It was a great run-in from Arias, as he was lurking on the edge of the Ghanaian box in Caleb Yirenkyi’s blind spot. Just as Suarez releases the cross, Arias makes the run and there’s not a single Ghanaian player around to stop him. 

For the Black Stars, their defending of that goal seemed to encapsulate their game today. They just couldn’t match the intensity that Colombia brought into the game and were struggling to keep up with the high tempo of the Colombian offence. You give a little bit of space to the Colombian frontline, and they’re off to the races. In all honesty, if they had been a bit more decisive and clinical in their finishing, Colombia could easily have been up 3-0 or even 4-0.

The only man who could really hold his head high on the Ghanaian team was goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi. It seemed like he was being tested every other minute as Colombia were desperate for a second goal. Zigi did his best, making seven saves, but unfortunately for him, the Ghanaian action in the final third was virtually non-existent today. Apart from Antoine Semenyo trying to spark some creativity, it was a similar repetition of the group stage as they couldn’t even manage one shot on target. 

Colombia briefly thought they had doubled the lead through Luis Diaz in the 55th minute, but they were denied by the linesman’s flag as Diaz was caught in an offside position. While it was the correct decision, it seemed so cruel after Diaz celebrated using his late teammate and friend Diogo Jota’s signature snapping crocodile celebration to honour him on the first anniversary of his death. 

Despite being unable to find that elusive second, Colombia’s physical defence, coupled with Ghana’s passivity going forward, ensured that there would be no comeback and no extra time in the last round of 32 match. Colombia won their first-ever knockout game since the 2014 tournament, and the Black Stars were officially eliminated from the tournament.

Los Cafeteros will now face Switzerland in their round of 16 match on July 7 in Vancouver. It will be interesting to see how far this Colombian team will go during this tournament. They have one of the best potentials to make a dark horse run. Their team consists of a good mix between veterans and young talent, and they play an exciting and high-intensity brand of football that can easily overwhelm opponents. Coupled with a great defence that can out-muscle most attacks, Colombia are real contenders to make an upset if they get past Switzerland.