Colombia defeated Ghana 1-0 in their round-of-32 clash in Kansas City to secure a place in the World Cup last 16 for the fourth time, setting up a quarterfinal-stage encounter against Switzerland.
The memory of 2014 is still fresh — Colombia stunned the football world by reaching the quarterfinals that year. After missing the Qatar World Cup entirely, the Latin American side has returned to form. John Arias’ superb goal in the 14th minute proved to be the match-winner.
Colombia dominated throughout, controlling nearly 61 percent of possession and keeping Ghana’s defense under constant pressure. They directed 8 shots on target, though the margin could have been wider — Puerta and Diaz missed at least four clear opportunities.
In the second half, Diaz appeared to have found the net again, but the goal was ruled out by VAR for a marginal offside. Mojica also had a certain goal denied by an excellent save from Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi.
Ghana, meanwhile, failed to register a single shot on target across the entire 90 minutes, offering a listless performance before being eliminated by a South American side once again.
Colombia, who last reached the round of 16 in 2018, now face European heavyweights Switzerland in the quarterfinal-qualifying match.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report