Jordan Ayew has urged his Ghana teammates to channel the disappointment of Saturday night’s 2-1 defeat to Croatia into focus and conviction ahead of the Black Stars’ Round-of-32 meeting with Colombia.
Ghana finished third in Group L after Saturday’s defeat at Philadelphia Stadium, but their qualification for the knockout phase had already been secured the night before by Spain’s 1-0 win over Uruguay.
The Croatia match was, for Ghana, more about positioning than progression and the captain made clear his side had wanted both.
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"It’s a World Cup game, and you want to win all your matches and keep the positivity. The result has not affected the mood, and we will learn from our mistakes," Ayew said.
Petar Sucic had given Croatia the lead in the 31st minute with a low daisy-cutter from 25 yards that left Benjamin Asare flat-footed.
Carlos Queiroz’s side, sluggish in the first half, found a route back through substitute Derrick Luckassen in the 73rd minute. The Pafos defender side-footed home from a beautifully delivered Ernest Nuamah free-kick after a brief VAR check for offside.
The celebrations had barely settled, though, before 40-year-old Luka Modric became the oldest player ever to record a World Cup assist by swinging in a corner that Nikola Vlasic headed past Asare in the 83rd to settle matters.
Ayew, who had played his 123rd cap and his 11th World Cup appearance across three tournaments, did not dress the result up:
"We stay positive. On to the next game. It was a weird game today. We were a bit sloppy in possession, and they capitalised on our mistake. The most important thing is for us to focus on the next game because it’s either you stay or you go home."
With Ghana confirmed as third in Group L behind England, who topped the group by beating Panama 2-0 in East Rutherford, and Croatia, the Black Stars’ reward is a round-of-32 fixture against the winners of Group K, Colombia.
The South Americans picked up seven points from three group games and arrive into the knockout round unbeaten.
It is the kind of fixture Ayew has been training his teammates for in the immediate aftermath of the Croatia loss. He used Saturday night’s mixed zone to begin setting the tone publicly.
"I have told the guys that we need to stay focused, do our best because the next game will be different, no second chance."
The round of 32 fixture will be the first competitive meeting between Ghana and Colombia at any level. Kickoff is set for 01:30 GMT on Saturday, July 4th, Ghana’s first World Cup knockout match since the quarter-final defeat to Uruguay in Soweto in 2010.
