Match report
Croatia edge Ghana in World Cup group stage thriller
Croatia beat Ghana 2-1 at Lincoln Financial Field in a World Cup Group Stage matchday three fixture, holding off a second-half fightback to claim victory. The result offers Zlatko Dalic's side a lift after a mixed run of form, while Carlos Queiroz's Ghana suffer another setback having won just once in their previous five outings.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Petar Sučić opened the scoring in the 31st minute, converting an assist from Mateo Kovačić to send Croatia in 1-0 up at the interval. Ghana responded after the break when Derrick Luckassen levelled in the 73rd minute, finishing off a pass from Ernest Nuamah to make it 1-1 and threaten a share of the points. Croatia responded quickly, though, as Nikola Vlašić restored the lead in the 83rd minute, teed up by Luka Modrić, to settle the contest at 2-1.
Croatia shaded possession with 53 percent of the ball and produced eight shots to Ghana's six, four of them on target compared with just one for their opponents. Ghana, however, posted the higher expected-goals figure at 0.73 against Croatia's 0.46, reflecting a match in which clinical finishing rather than territorial control proved decisive.
Sučić struck the opener and finished with an 8.7 rating, the highest of the match, while Modrić's late assist for Vlašić underlined his influence in the closing stages.
Despite Croatia's win, Ghana actually outscored their opponents on expected goals, 0.73 to 0.46.
Croatia beat Ghana 2–1 (half-time 1–0).
Croatia met Ghana in the World Cup (Group Stage - 3). Kick-off was Saturday, 27 June 2026, 21:00 UTC at Lincoln Financial Field. Referee: Drew Fischer.
Key moments
- 31' Goal: Petar Sučić (assist: Mateo Kovačić) — 1–0 · Watch Petar Sučić's goal video (31')
- 73' Goal: Derrick Luckassen (assist: Ernest Nuamah) — 1–1 · Watch Derrick Luckassen's goal video (73')
- 83' Goal: Nikola Vlašić (assist: Luka Modrić) — 2–1 · Watch Nikola Vlašić's goal video (83')
Starting line-ups
Croatia (4-2-3-1)
Ghana (4-1-4-1)
- 16 Benjamin Asare
- 14 Gideon Mensah
- 23 Derrick Luckassen
- 4 Jonas Adjetey
- 26 Marvin Senaya
- 5 Thomas Partey
- 22 Kamaldeen Sulemana
- 8 Kwasi Sibo
- 15 Elisha Owusu
- 11 Antoine Semenyo
- 9 Jordan Ayew (c)
About this match
On this page: the Croatia vs Ghana final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this World Cup fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Petar Sučić's goal against Ghana (31').
- Watch Derrick Luckassen's goal against Croatia (73').
- Watch Nikola Vlašić's goal against Ghana (83').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Croatia 2–1 Ghana. Explore more on the Croatia and Ghana team pages or the World Cup page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of Croatia vs Ghana?
Croatia beat Ghana 2–1 (half-time 1–0).
›Who scored in Croatia vs Ghana?
Petar Sučić (31') for Croatia; Derrick Luckassen (73') for Ghana; Nikola Vlašić (83') for Croatia.
›Where can I watch Croatia vs Ghana highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from Croatia 2–1 Ghana are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.