Croatia edges Ghana 2-1 to reach World Cup knockout stage

Croatia fought their way into the World Cup knockout stage with a hard-earned 2-1 victory over Ghana. Nikola Vlašić's late strike in the 82nd minute secured second place in Group L for the Croatians, who will now face the runner-up from Group K.

Petar Sučić had put Croatia ahead in the 31st minute with a superb long-range effort. However, Ghana equalized in the 73rd minute through Derrick Luckassen after a free-kick, a goal initially disallowed for offside but later confirmed by VAR. This prompted a swift response from Croatia, who regained the lead through Vlašić's header from a corner.

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It is difficult to score against them, and we were the only team that created so many chances and scored two goals.

Despite the loss, Ghana also advanced to the round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams. They will play the winner of Group K. England comfortably won Group L by defeating Panama 2-0, with goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. England is set to play Congo-Kinshasa in the next round, while Croatia will face Portugal.

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We will improve. The bigger the matches, the better we will perform.