vlasics late header sends croatia through | croatia edge ghana 2-1

MATCH INFO
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Croatia 2-1 Ghana
Date: June 27, 2026
Competition: FIFA World Cup - Group L
Venue: Philadelphia Stadium, Pennsylvania

croatia secured second place in group l and booked their ticket to the knockout stage with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over ghana in philadelphia. despite ghana fighting back to equalize in the second half, a late header from nikola vlašić ensured all three points for zlatko dalić's side. both teams will advance to the round of 32.

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Goals

• minute 31 petar sučić: 1-0 croatia. crashes a stunning 30-yard drive through the legs of a defender and past the goalkeeper into the bottom corner.
• minute 73 derrick luckassen: 1-1 ghana. sweeps home a clever free-kick routine, validated after a lengthy var review for offside.
• minute 83 nikola vlašić: 2-1 croatia. rises highest to power a header in off the post from a pinpoint luka modrić corner.

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How It Went

croatia controlled much of the first half, making their possession count when sučić scored a brilliant long-range effort. ghana emerged as a completely different team after the break, piling on the pressure until they finally found an equalizer through luckassen. however, croatia's experience shone through as they responded almost immediately, with a classic modrić delivery finding vlašić unmarked to seal the game late on.

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Quick Take

• croatia finish second in group l and will face the runner-up of group k in the next round.
• ghana also advance to the knockouts as one of the best third-placed teams.
• at 22 years old, petar sučić became the second-youngest player to score for croatia at a world cup.
• luka modrić continues to be indispensable, providing the crucial assist for the match-winning goal.