Colombia Stay Unbeaten With Victory Over Ghana To Complete FIFA World Cup 2026 Last-16 Line-up

Colombia claimed the final place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 after edging Ghana 1-0 at Kansas City Stadium.

Jhon Arias found the net in the opening half to help Nestor Lorenzo’s men extend their unbeaten streak to four matches and finish above Portugal at the summit of Group K.

The Colombian side adopted an attacking approach from the opening whistle and repeatedly stretched Ghana’s defence with dangerous runs from wide areas. Their positive play was rewarded in the 14th minute when Luis Javier Suárez set up Arias, who guided a composed first-time finish into the bottom corner.

Colombia dictated the tempo after the interval by enjoying the majority of possession and regularly threatening the Ghanaian backline.

The officials ruled out Luis Díaz’s goal midway through the second half after determining that he was narrowly offside. He later missed another opportunity after Lawrence Ati-Zigi reacted quickly to keep out his shot.

The Black Stars made an encouraging start, with Thomas Partey forcing Colombia into early defensive action through a powerful strike from distance.

Ghana, however, struggled to build sustained pressure after conceding and failed to register a shot on target throughout the remainder of the encounter.

Before the interval, Díaz fired wide from inside the penalty area, while Ati-Zigi produced an outstanding save to deny Johan Mojica’s close-range header and keep Ghana in the contest.

The victory confirmed Colombia’s place in the last 16, where they will take on Switzerland in Vancouver on July 8 for a place in the quarter-finals.

Having progressed through the group stage without defeat, Lorenzo’s side will aim to continue their strong campaign in the knockout rounds.

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