On June 27, local time, Croatia defeated Ghana 2-1 in the final group stage match of Group L held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
With this result, Ghana finished with a record of one win, one draw, and one loss (four points), placing them third in the group. The tournament allows the top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, to advance to the knockout stage.
Ghana maintained a position ahead of South Korea in the competition for third place, with South Korea remaining in eighth. Ghana's loss did not lead to the ranking changes South Korea had hoped for.
Now, South Korea must rely on favorable outcomes from the remaining matches in Groups J and K to keep their hopes of advancing alive.
In Group J, the outcome of the match between Austria and Algeria is crucial. If Austria wins or Algeria wins by two goals or more, the third-placed team's performance in that group will be lower than South Korea's. In Group K, the third-placed Democratic Republic of the Congo must lose to the last-placed Uzbekistan. Both conditions must be met for South Korea to secure the eighth spot among the third-placed teams and advance to the knockout stage.
In the match, Croatia took the lead in the 31st minute of the first half with a goal from Petar Sucic. Ghana equalized in the 73rd minute with a goal from Derrick Lukasen, but Nikola Vlasic scored the decisive header from a corner kick in the 83rd minute, sealing the victory for Croatia.
In another match held at the same time in Group L, England defeated Panama 2-0. England finished first in the group with two wins and one draw, advancing to the knockout stage, while Panama ended the tournament with three losses. Jude Bellingham scored the opening goal, and Harry Kane added a second to secure the win.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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