Colombia defeated Ghana 1-0 in a World Cup Round of 32 match at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on Friday, July 3.
In the 14th minute of the first half, John Arias scored a goal after a wonderful assist from Luis Suarez. It was his first goal of the tournament.
James Rodriguez, winner of the 2014 Golden Boot award, was substituted off at half-time. It was not reported whether he was injured.
Black Stars goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Gigi stayed alert all night and finished with seven saves.
Ghana will finish Group L in 3rd place and leave the tournament. The highlight of the group match was holding England to a goalless draw.
Colombia will play Switzerland in the Round of 16 on Tuesday, July 7th.
Gideon Mensah received medical treatment on the pitch after colliding with Richard Rios.
With six more minutes added in the second half, Ghana survives by scoring the equalizing goal.
Juan Fernando Quintero took a powerful shot from far outside the penalty area, but it went over the goal.
Davinson Sanchez almost hit the ball into the goal from his upper body after a corner kick, but Lawrence Ati Gigi brushed the ball away.
Richard Rios was given a yellow card for pushing Fatawu Isahak from the side.
Alidou Seydou was shown a yellow card for pulling Johan Mohitsa’s leg from behind.
John Arias, who scored Colombia’s only goal in the game, was sent off about three-quarters of the way through regulation. He was replaced by Juan Fernando Quintero.
We entered the middle of the second half. Colombia still won 1-0.
Fatawu Isahak was given a yellow card for kicking Gustavo Puerta in the chest. I have to admit that his high kick was impressive.
Luis Suarez dived into the goal and Colombia scored again. However, the goal was ruled offside.
Gustavo Puerta fired a shot from outside the penalty area, but Lawrence Ati Gigi made another great save.
Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo has his eyes on goal again. He took the ball to the left of the net and kicked it, hoping his teammates would help him. But no one was there, and the ball rolled away.
Caleb Ilenki was given a yellow card for pinning down Gustavo Puerta and pulling his shirt.
Colombia and Ghana are playing the second half of their World Cup Round of 32 match. Colombia won 1-0. According to FOX broadcasts, they had won 11 straight World Cup matches at the end of halftime.
Colombian star James Rodriguez left the game at halftime. The 2014 Golden Boot winner was replaced by Richard Rios.
Colombia scored the only goal of the game at halftime.
Towards the end of the first half of a physical battle, Luis Suarez and Kwasi Sibo collided and both fell to the pitch. The Ghanaian players were trying to control the ball. No penalty was imposed.
Colombia almost scored another point in stoppage time. Daniel Muñoz passed the ball to Johan Mojica, who tried to head it, but Lawrence Ati Gigi dove and made an incredible save by flicking the ball away with his hands. The Ghanaian goalkeeper fell sideways and was slow to get back up.
There are six minutes left in the first half between Colombia and Ghana.
Antoine Semenyo looked at the goal and kicked the ball into a group of defenders. Several other Ghanaian players kicked the ball around, but it eventually bounced back towards Colombia.
Luis Suarez should score sooner or later. This time he missed his header and the ball went over the net.
The ball was passed around and at one point a Ghanaian defender tapped it. When the ball reached Luis Diaz, he hit the ball towards goal, but the ball went just wide to the left.
In a moment of hope for Ghana, Jordan Ayew took a corner kick. The ball bounced a little and Iñaki Williams had a chance to score, but he missed.
According to FIFA, Colombia has had possession of the ball in 63% of their matches so far. They also had the only goal of the game and are not giving up against Ghana.
Colombia took control of the match from the start and led 1-0 at the hydration break midway through the first half.
Colombia strikes first! After a great assist from Luis Suarez, John Arias scored to give Colombia a 1-0 lead. This is his first goal in a World Cup.
In what was already a physical game, Marvin Senaya appeared to suffer a minor injury and was replaced by Alidou Seydou.
John Arias was given a yellow card for physical play early on.
Colombian star James Rodriguez took the corner kick. He pushed the ball into play, but the ball bounced back without much action.
While running down the field with Jerome Opoku, John Cordova tripped and grabbed his groin. He sat on the pitch for a while to catch his breath. Luis Suarez came on as a substitute.
Thomas Partey threatened Ghana early on. He kicked a long shot into the net from outside the penalty area, but it went wide.
Partey has also been making headlines off the pitch as he awaits trial on sexual assault charges. He missed the first game against Ghana because he was refused entry to Canada.
The World Cup Round of 32 match between Colombia and Ghana has begun.
Colombia vs Ghana highlights
The game is being broadcast on Fox, but you can also watch it on the Fubo or Fox One apps. Spanish-language broadcasts are available on Telemundo and Peacock.
Watch every World Cup match on Fubo
What time does Colombia vs Ghana start?
The matchup kicks off at 9:30pm ET.
Where will the Colombia vs Ghana match take place?
The Round of 32 games will be held at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Colombia lineup today
Camilo Vargas, Daniel Muñoz, John Lucumi, Gustavo Puerta, Johan Mojica, Davinson Sanchez, James Rodriguez (C), John Arias, Jefferson Lerma, Luis Diaz, John Cordoba
2026 World Cup Team Complete Roster
Ghana lineup today
Lawrence Ati-Gigi, Gideon Mensah, Jerome Opoku, Derrick Lucassen, Marvin Senaya, Caleb Ilenki, Thomas Partey, Kwasi Sibo, Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew (C), Inyaki Williams.
Ghana will be wearing a white Puma home kit for their World Cup Round of 32 match. The front of the jersey features a spider web design, paying homage to Kwaku Ananse, a spider-like figure and trickster from West African folklore. This uniform is one of USA TODAY’s favorite uniforms from the World Cup.
Colombia will be wearing a yellow Adidas home kit for their round of 32 World Cup match.
Carlos Queiroz was hired by Ghana just two months before the start of the World Cup. He coached five teams in the World Cup, leading South Africa and Portugal in one tournament each and Iran in three.
Nestor Lorenzo is the coach of the Colombian national team. He took command of the national team in 2022. He previously served on Colombia’s coaching staff under Jose Pekerman at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups.
Colombia won Group K and advanced to the final tournament. They started their journey by defeating Uzbekistan, their first appearance in the World Cup, 3-1. After that, Daniel Muñoz scored his second goal of the tournament, defeating Congo 1-0. In the final match of group play, Colombia held Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal to a goalless draw.
Ghana finished Group L in third place and were among the top eight third-place teams in the World Cup, thus advancing to the Round of 32. The Black Stars started the tournament by defeating Panama 1-0 with an injury-time goal from Caleb Ilenki. Group play ended with a 2-1 loss to Croatia. The highlight of the World Cup so far has been holding England to a goalless draw.
James Rodriguez is Colombia’s star player. At the 2014 World Cup, Los Cafeteros reached the tournament’s farthest quarter-finals, scoring six goals and winning the Golden Boot award. He has 31 goals in total for the national team, five goals behind top scorer Radamel Falcao.
Rodriguez’s club team is MLS’s Minnesota United FC. He spent time in the world’s biggest leagues, including Club Leon, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, AS Monaco and Everton.
He has yet to score in the 2026 World Cup.
Colombia vs Ghana expert predictions
Seth Terny: Colombia 1-0 Ghana
Ghana managed to frustrate teams throughout the tournament and did well enough to advance. This strategy will push Colombia to its limits, but in the end the South Americans will be able to pull it off.
john arnold: Colombia 2-0 Ghana
Colombia are the right type of team to put an end to Carlos Queiroz’s defensive style against Ghana, with their speed and ability to get in behind and score from set pieces.
Jesse Yomtov: Colombia 1 – 2 Ghana (AET)
Ghana have proven difficult to break down and Colombia will struggle to create chances even with the talent of Luis Diaz. In the end, Antoine Semenyo scored the winning goal for Ghana.
victoria hernandez: Colombia 1 – 2 Ghana
This isn’t the Colombian team of old. On the other hand, Ghana has been competing against some strong teams. And we are learning not to underestimate Africa’s presence in tournaments.
Colombia vs Ghana live odds
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