Arias Strike Sends Colombia Past Toothless Ghana in Kansas City
Match statistics
View knockout bracket →- Jhon Arias 14'(Luis Suárez)
- Jhon Arias 12'
- Caleb Yirenkyi 49'
- Fatawu Issahaku 66'
- Alidu Seidu 76'
HT 1–0|Poss 61–39%|Shots 20–8|SOT 8–0
Fri, Jul 3, 2026 • 20:30 (Kansas City local)
Colombia beat Ghana 1–0 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to complete the round of 32 with a third straight clean sheet. Jhon Arias steered Luis Suárez's right-wing cross home in the 14th minute after both sides had been forced into injury substitutions before the quarter-hour, and Nestor Lorenzo's side never looked troubled despite Luis Díaz having a second-half goal ruled offside.
Los Cafeteros finished with 61% possession, 20 shots and eight on target while Ghana failed to register a single effort on goal in front of 69,045 fans. Lawrence Ati Zigi made seven saves and Jhon Arias was booked on 12 minutes, but Colombia's defensive organisation and counter-attacking threat — including five chances created by substitute Juan Fernando Quintero — kept Carlos Queiroz's side at arm's length throughout.
Colombia advance to face Switzerland in Vancouver on Tuesday for a quarter-final place, with the winner meeting Argentina or Egypt. Ghana bow out after reaching the knockout stage for the first time since 2014, ending another World Cup campaign without a victory over South American opposition.