World Cup Story Feed / 世界杯事情流
World Cup Story Feed / 世界杯事情流
The scoreboard at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field shows 1 0, but the game tells a completely different story. Croatia had five shots, two on target in the first half, while Ghana managed just one shot off target. Possession was 54% to 46%, and fouls were 2 to 7. In the 31st minute, 22 year old Sučić unleashed a low drive from outside the box, the ball curling into the bottom corner. That goal didn't cure Croatia's attacking constipation; instead, it fully exposed Ghana's determination to fight to the bitter end.
The scoreboard at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia read 1-0, but the story on the pitch was entirely different. Croatia had five shots and two on target in the first half, while Ghana managed just one off-target attempt. Possession was 54% to 46%, and fouls were 2 to 7. 22-year-old Sučić fired a low drive from outside the box in the 31st minute, curling into the corner. That goal didn't cure Croatia's attacking constipation; instead, it laid bare Ghana's determination to fight tooth and nail to the end.
The life-or-death math in Group L was straightforward: England with 4 points, Ghana with 4, and Croatia with 3. Croatia had to win; a draw would leave them at the mercy of others. Ghana, as long as they didn't lose, had one foot in the knockout stage. Vlašić's long-range effort in the 17th minute hit the post—a chance that could have put the game into garbage time early. The Ghanaians didn't even flinch. This team, emboldened by a 0-0 stalemate against England, took the pitch without any intention of chasing possession.
73-year-old Portuguese veteran coach Carlos Queiroz only took over Ghana on April 13, after predecessor Otto Addo was sacked. The old man had already declared in May: "If we need ten men to sit behind the ball and defend, we'll do it." Against England, he made good on that tough talk, and after the match, he didn't even bother with excuses in interviews: "The strategy was to block them and grind them down."
Ghana never used to play like this. Across four World Cups from 2006 to 2022, they managed only two clean sheets in 15 matches. This year, they equaled that in just two games—1-0 against Panama and 0-0 against England. Goalkeeper Benjamin Asare spent nearly a decade bouncing around Ghana's domestic league, from Sporting Mirren to Accra Great Olympics, before joining Hearts of Oak at the age of 32—a classic late bloomer. He has single-handedly turned a page in Ghana's shaky historical record. Facing Croatia's possession game, Ghana's defensive chain was locked tight. They didn't go for the ball at the feet; they only blocked passing lanes. The midfield and backline were as relentless as a meat grinder, committing seven fouls in the first half—five more than their opponents—but not conceding a single set piece in dangerous areas. They shattered the game's rhythm, reducing Croatia's possession to nothing but pointless sideways passes.
Croatia's stagnant attacking patterns in the final third stem from an aging squad. Modrić is 40 years old. This is his fifth World Cup, and just days earlier against Panama, he notched his 200th international appearance, joining the exclusive men's national team 200-match club. But at 40, even if Modrić runs his lungs out, he can't drag this aging machine along. In the opening round in Dallas, England tore Croatia apart 4-2, with Kane and Bellingham taking turns stabbing; the defenders couldn't even muster the pace to chase back. In the second round against Panama, they scraped a 1-0 win thanks to 34-year-old Budimir—who came off the bench and scored within eight minutes—while Livaković made save after save to cling to the three points.
Against Ghana, chances were indeed created, but the final touch was always soft. After Vlašić hit the post, Modrić served up a free-kick delivery, but Pongračić and Budimir both headed wide by a hair. The 1-0 scoreline hung heavy; Croatia needed another goal to put their minds at ease. Ghana, on the other hand, clearly wanted none of the ball, and that kind of bus-parking is the most torturous. 22-year-old Sučić blasted through the wall. When this Bosnia-born Inter midfielder smashed in his wonder goal, the 40-year-old captain was still in the center circle, racking his brains, trying to pick out another passing lane through Ghana's tight gaps.
The Ghanaians were chasing a record no African team had ever achieved in World Cup history: a clean sheet in every group-stage match. If Asare could keep the door welded shut until the final whistle, Croatia's 2018 runners-up and 2022 third-place legacy would be shattered in Philadelphia. Modrić stood with his hands on his hips in the center circle, watching as yet another Ghanaian defender hoofed the ball clear into touch. The scoreboard still read 1-0. Ghana still had to hold out for 45 more minutes, while England's result across the field could flip the table at any moment.