Reuters
Today’s match promises excitement as Ghana captures attention with their vibrant entrance.
double quotation mark Since Argentina in 1978, there have been two new winners, and those were France and Spain, from the heart of Uefa, their success based on maximising the advantages of being European and wealthy; no countries have been so successful at industrialising youth production, so much so that they now provide the models for every country seeking to invest in academy programmes.
The players have arrived!
For Antoine Semenyo, transitioning from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to Carlos Quieroz’s Ghana represents a significant shift. Although he hasn’t yet made a standout impression, fans are eager to see his long throw in action.
Croatia’s lineup features Livakovic, Stanisic, Sutalo, Pongracic, Perisic, Modric, Kovacic, Vlasic, Petar Sucic, Baturina, and Budimir.
The bench includes Pandur, Kotarski, Gvardiol, Caleta-Car, Moro, Kramaric, Mario Pasalic, Jakic, Fruk, Matanovic, Luka Sucic, Vuskovic, Marco Pasalic, Erlic, and Musa.
For Ghana, the starting players are Asare, Senaya, Adjetey, Luckassen, Mensah, Partey, Owusu, Sibo, Sulemana, Ayew, and Semenyo.
The substitutes consist of Ati-Zigi, Anang, Seidu, Yirenkyi, Mumin, Fatawu, Thomas-Asante, Baah, Baba, Opoku, Williams, Boakye, Oppong, Nuamah, and Adu.
The match will be officiated by referee Drew Fischer from Canada.
Fans looking for mainstream action can catch England vs. Panama with Scott Murray.
John Brewin will be covering the match for Football Daily, which is always a treat.
Croatia likely needs at least a draw against Ghana to advance to the knockout stage. Ivan Perisic, a key forward, expresses confidence in their historical performance against African teams.
Since 2014, the 2018 World Cup runners-up and 2022 third-place finishers have secured three victories and a draw against African opponents, including a notable win over Morocco.
“That’s something that we commented on,” Perisic noted. “And we played against many teams in the past 10 years, and all of the results were positive. So I believe that this is going to be the same this time as well, and that we will be playing a very good match, just like we did against the other teams.”
Entering the final Group L matchday, both England and Ghana have four points, while Croatia sits with three and Panama has already been eliminated. The question remains whether Croatia can still emulate the form they showcased over the last decade. After suffering a 4-2 defeat against England, they managed a narrow 1-0 victory over Panama, thanks to Ante Budimir’s goal in the 54th minute.
At 37, Perisic and 40-year-old captain Luka Modric are key figures, and even coach Zlatko Dalic acknowledges that their performances have been less than stellar.
“We need to raise the level of our play,” he said through an interpreter. “We’re not what Croatia can be. So we haven’t shown the best we can, but tomorrow is the opportunity to do so. We never made so many mistakes in some of the passes or when we were in the possession of the ball. This is where we had the force and we were really strong, but we seem to be losing the ball easily. We need to be quicker and we need to raise the level of concentration.“ Perisic also was unsure whether Ghana’s low-block approach, a staple of several Carlos Queiroz-managed World Cup sides, would continue. “They are a very good team,”
“But yes, we’re focusing on ourselves and our game and what we need to do. And we need to be a lot better than we were in the past two matches.”
Luka Modric has yet to find his rhythm in this tournament. If Ghana plays a deep defensive game, he might find himself with more time and space to operate.
Pre-match insights were provided by our own Adrian Chiles.
Wasn’t Adrian impressive with ITV News’ Dan Hewitt this week on the radio?
This match is crucial, as it’s a winner-takes-all scenario for the second place in the group. Ghana holds a one-point lead, meaning a draw would suffice for them. Carlos Quieroz brings a wealth of experience, known for his ability to instill defensive discipline and organization.
However, Croatia has the potential to perform well if they apply themselves. Despite their lackluster showings thus far, including losses to England and a narrow win over Panama aided by goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, they are capable of rising to the occasion. Luka Modric, who recently made his 200th international appearance, requires more support as the veteran cannot shoulder the team’s burden alone.
It promises to be an engaging encounter.
Kick-off is set for 10 PM BST, 5 PM EDT, and 7 AM AEST.
