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In the 13th minute, Ghana's right back Marvin Senaya fell to the turf clutching his leg. The 25 year old, an absolute starter who played the full 90 minutes in all three group stage matches, suffered a thigh strain and was forced to be substituted.
In the 13th minute, Ghana right-back Marvin Senaya collapsed on the grass clutching his leg. At 25 years old, an absolute starter who played the full 90 minutes in all three group stage matches, he suffered a hamstring strain and was forced off.
60 seconds later, Colombia's John Arias slotted home a shot. 1-0.
Ghana's right flank defense was completely paralyzed, and it took only a minute. On the sidelines at Arrowhead Stadium, 73-year-old Carlos Queiroz could do nothing.
Arrowhead Stadium is the home of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, can hold 76,000 people, and holds the Guinness World Record for "loudest stadium." Kansas City has a large Colombian community, and the stands were dyed yellow. The roar of 76,000 people didn't crush the Ghanaian players; what truly crushed them was fear.
The fear started before the game. Queiroz admitted it himself at the press conference. Reuters recorded his exact words: "I quickly sensed that some Ghanaian players were fearful. They were not calm, not composed under pressure." A 73-year-old veteran coach, in front of cameras from around the world, admitted his troops were scared stiff.
It's not really a case of passing the buck. Looking back at Ghana's group stage, this team walked on a psychological tightrope the entire time. They beat Panama 1-0 in the 95th minute thanks to a goalmouth scramble by Caleb Yirenkyi in stoppage time; against England, a 0-0 draw, under siege for the whole match; in the final round, they were overturned 2-1 by Croatia, barely squeezing through as one of the best third-placed teams, entirely dependent on results elsewhere. In three group matches, a messy win, a grind for a draw, and a deserved loss. Facing a Colombia team in good form in the knockout stage, the collapse simply lifted the lid that had been kept on since the group stage.
The stats are even uglier. Opta's expected goals: Ghana 0.26 — converting all of Ghana's shot opportunities into probabilities, they don't even add up to one decent goal. Colombia's xG was 2.19, more than eight times higher. The disparity in shots and chances created was equally stark. Don't dress up a narrow loss. Ghana was ground into the dirt by Colombia for 90 minutes.
"The team wasn't organized," Queiroz told Flashscore after the match. This platitude can't mask the tactical paralysis. Senaya went down in the 13th minute, the entire backline took several minutes to reorganize, and Arias scored in the 14th minute. An injury caused chaos, and the opponent cashed in within 60 seconds.
Equaling Bora Milutinović's record of coaching in five consecutive World Cups—this was the respectful line a few media outlets offered Queiroz after Ghana's elimination.
Bora Milutinović's five: 1986 Mexico, quarter-finals; 1990 Costa Rica, round of 16; 1994 USA, round of 16; 1998 Nigeria, round of 16; 2002 China, group stage exit. Four different teams into the knockout stages across five World Cups, a record no one has matched.
Now look at Queiroz's record. 2010 Portugal, round of 16, lost to eventual champions Spain; 2014 Iran, group stage exit; 2018 Iran, group stage exit; 2022 Iran, group stage exit; 2026 Ghana, last-32 exit. 17 World Cup matches, 4 wins, 5 draws, 8 losses, twice as many losses as wins. Also five tournaments, Milutinović led teams to the knockout stages four times. Queiroz advanced twice, once with that Portugal team sixteen years ago, once by scraping through as a third-placed team and going home in the first round. The stage keeps shrinking, the contracts keep getting shorter. Appointed April 13, eliminated July 3, 81 days. There's no glory in this record, just the obsession of a 73-year-old man refusing to let go.
The Kansas City night wasn't unfamiliar to Queiroz. Between 2019 and 2020, he coached the Colombia national team, suffered humiliating defeats to Uruguay and Ecuador in World Cup qualifiers, and left in disgrace. His former side saw him off for the last time tonight.
Three days before the match, torrential rain in Accra flooded Ghana's capital. 12 dead, 38,000 displaced. Queiroz publicly offered condolences before the game, stating the Black Stars stood with the Ghanaian people.
Four days later, the team was out.
After the match, local Ghanaian media 3Sports Ghana recorded his final words: "I can't say I'm happy, but I'm proud of what we did."
The 73-year-old stood up and pushed the microphone away. The Ghana Football Association needs to quickly turn the page and find someone new. Colombia packs their bags, ready for the next round. The floodwaters in Accra haven't receded yet.