The Sports Guru
The last ticket to the World Cup's round of 16 went to the team that deserved it by a distance and won it by a whisker. This covers Colombia's 1-0 win over Ghana in Kansas City: Jhon Arias' early goal, the Luis Suarez cross that made it, the pile of chances Colombia failed to add to it, Ghana's night of nought shots on target, and the last-16 tie with Switzerland in Vancouver that now awaits.
Colombia are into the last 16 of the World Cup, and the only surprise is that they left it as tight as 1-0. A Jhon Arias goal after 14 minutes was enough to see off Ghana in Kansas City and complete the round of 32, a result that made the night look far closer than it was. Colombia had 61% of the ball, put seven of their 18 shots on target, and generated more than two expected goals across the night. Ghana managed eight shots and not one of them on target. Nestor Lorenzo's side controlled everything except the margin, and in a knockout tie that is the one thing that counts.
Arias settles it early
The goal arrived before the game had properly found its feet, and it came through a substitution that could have unsettled a lesser side. Colombia had already lost Jhon Cordoba to injury inside the opening 10 minutes, sending on Luis Suarez, and it was Suarez who supplied the moment. He curled a cross in from the right, Arias drifted off the back of the Ghana defence untracked, and the former Wolves midfielder guided it home. One touch of quality, one lapse in marking, and Colombia had the lead their play would go on to merit many times over.
What followed was a long exercise in a good team not quite finishing off a limited one. Luis Diaz sped clear on a counter before half-time and shot wide, Suarez headed past the post, and on the stroke of the interval Johan Mojica's header drew a brilliant save from Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi, who would end the night with seven of them. Diaz thought he had a second early in the second half, sliding in a Jefferson Lerma cross, only for the flag to rule it out for offside. Juan Fernando Quintero, on for Arias with the game still at 1-0, curled a long-range effort wide. The chances came and went, and the scoreboard refused to move with them.
Ghana flattered, Colombia unbothered
For Ghana, the exit is honest even if the scoreline is kind. They came to Kansas City to defend and defend deep, and for long stretches Ati Zigi's goal was the only reason the tie stayed alive. A team that produces no shots on target across a knockout match has, on some level, accepted the terms of its own elimination, and Ghana, who had earlier held England to a goalless draw in the group stage, could not find a way to repeat the trick when a goal down. Their tournament ends with a performance built entirely on their goalkeeper.
Colombia, by contrast, look a serious proposition. They have now come through the group and the round of 32 with the sort of control that wins tournaments more often than flair does, and the only mild concern Lorenzo will carry forward is a finishing touch that turned domination into a single goal. Having already dispatched DR Congo by the same scoreline earlier in the tournament, they are becoming specialists in the efficient 1-0, which is not the worst habit to take into a knockout run.
The reward is a last-16 meeting with Switzerland in Vancouver on Tuesday, the Swiss having ended their own 88-year knockout drought against Algeria. It is a tie between two sides that defend like they mean it and score just enough to get by, which may not promise a goal fest but should promise a proper contest. A quarter-final against Argentina or Egypt waits for the winner. Colombia have spent this World Cup making a quiet, convincing case that it could be them. On this evidence, only their own wastefulness looks likely to stop them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Colombia beat Ghana 1-0 in their World Cup round-of-32 tie at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, in front of 69,045. Jhon Arias scored the only goal in the 14th minute, guiding home a cross from Luis Suarez, to complete the last-16 line-up in the final round-of-32 fixture.
Very. Colombia had 61% of possession, put seven of their 18 shots on target and generated more than two expected goals, while Ghana had eight shots and none on target. Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi made seven saves, and Colombia also had a Luis Diaz effort disallowed for offside, so the 1-0 scoreline flattered the losers.
Jhon Arias, the former Wolves midfielder, scored the only goal in the 14th minute. He was left untracked at the far post and guided home a cross from Luis Suarez, who had come on early after Jhon Cordoba was forced off injured inside the opening 10 minutes.
Colombia face Switzerland in the last 16 in Vancouver on Tuesday. Switzerland reached the round of 16 by beating Algeria 2-0 for their first World Cup knockout win since 1938. The winner of the tie will meet either Argentina or Egypt in the quarter-finals.
Sources: Final score, Jhon Arias' 14th-minute goal and Luis Suarez's assist, the Jhon Cordoba injury substitution, the possession and shot figures (61% possession, seven of 18 shots on target, more than two expected goals for Colombia; eight shots and none on target for Ghana), the seven saves from Lawrence Ati Zigi, the Luis Diaz, Mojica and Quintero chances and the disallowed Diaz goal, the 69,045 attendance at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, and the last-16 tie with Switzerland in Vancouver, as corroborated across Sky Sports, ESPN and FIFA following the BBC's live coverage of Colombia 1-0 Ghana at the World Cup.
