In the last match of the Round of 32, Colombia defeated Ghana 1-0 and advanced to the Round of 16

It’s all over. After 15 action-packed matches, the last game of the Round of 16 took place, with Colombia as the main protagonist. The team led by Néstor Lorenzo struck early and, without much trouble, defeated Ghana by the narrowest of margins to secure the 16th spot in the Round of 16.

Just after the match began, the Ghanaians would warn with a long-range shot from Thomas Partey that went just wide. Beyond this chance, what would define the early minutes were the early injuries on both sides: Jhon Córdoba for the South Americans, replaced by Luis Suárez, and Marvin Senaya for the Africans, substituted by Alidu Seidu.

A little later, the coffee growers would quickly recover from this significant loss and open the scoring thanks to a consequence of it. In the 14th minute, Suárez himself would cross for an unmarked Jhon Arias who only had to push it in to make it 1-0.

Although the game would see constant back-and-forth action between both areas with promising chances, neither team would manage to be dangerous for the remainder of the first half, except for a shot by Luis Díaz in the 38th that grazed the left post and a header from Johan Mojica in the 45th that Lawrence Ati-Zigi would barely save.

In the second half, while Ghana would show more initiative to equalize, it would be Colombia that came closer to extending the lead with a flurry of opportunities. First, Ati-Zigi would deny a powerful shot from Gustavo Puerta in the 55th minute, then Lucho Díaz would score a minute later, but his goal would be disallowed for offside, and finally, the Bayern Munich player would receive the ball alone in the area in the 57th, although his attempt would be thwarted by a great save from the African goalkeeper.

As the match drew to a close, the coffee growers would again be close to a second goal with a header from Davinson Sánchez in the 80th saved in two attempts by Ati-Zigi and a shot from outside the area by substitute Juan Fernando Quintero slightly off target in the 83rd.

Despite continuing to press, Néstor Lorenzo's team could not achieve the 2-0, but it wouldn’t matter, as they would still end up winning the match with a more than satisfactory performance.

With this victory, Colombia qualified for the Round of 16, where they will face Switzerland next Tuesday, July 7 at 16:00 (Argentina time) at BC Place in Vancouver.