Ghana will face Colombia in the Round of 32 of the World Cup on Saturday, July 4, at Kansas City Stadium after securing qualification from Group L.
The Black Stars progressed to the knockout stage in a dramatic fashion, finishing third in their group with four points from three matches.
Carlos Queiroz’s men opened their campaign with a victory over Panama before earning an impressive goalless draw against England.
A narrow 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final group match left Ghana in a 3rd place as they advanced to the next round.
Their reward is a meeting with an in-form Colombian side that topped Group K with seven points.
Colombia remained unbeaten throughout the group stage, recording two wins and one draw while conceding only one goal.
Their strong performances allowed head coach Néstor Lorenzo to rest several key players in the final group match after securing first place early.
Colombia’s success has been built on a combination of defensive solidity and attacking quality.
The South Americans have looked organized at the back while finding goals through key players such as Luis Díaz and Jhon Durán.
Despite entering the contest as underdogs, Ghana will take confidence from their performances against some of the tournament’s strongest teams.
The Black Stars held England in a scoreless draw and pushed Croatia all the way before suffering a narrow defeat.
One of the key battles could be in midfield, where Colombia’s Jefferson Lerma and Kevin Castaño are expected to apply pressure on Ghana’s Thomas Partey and Kwasi Sibo.
Ghana’s ability to play through that pressure and control possession could prove decisive.
The wide areas may also play a major role in the outcome of the match.
Colombia will rely heavily on the attacking threat of Luis Díaz, while Ghana can look to the pace and creativity of Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Ernest Nuamah and Antoine Semenyo on the counterattack.
Set pieces could be another important factor.
Ghana showed their aerial threat when Derrick Luckassen scored against Croatia, while Colombia possess strong defenders such as Davinson Sánchez and Yerry Mina.
The match kicks off at 01:30 local time on July 4, which is 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 5, in Ghana. The winner will advance to the Round of 16 and move one step closer to World Cup glory.
