Colombia defeat Ghana 1-0 to reach the final to face Switzerland
Colombia reached the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, beating Ghana 1-0 on Friday in Kansas City, at the conclusion of the round of 32 competitions.
Palmeiras midfielder John Arias scored the only goal of the match in the 14th minute, giving his country a ticket to the next round, where they meet Switzerland, who beat Algeria 2-0 on Thursday.
It is the fourth time Colombia has reached the final, after 1990, 2014 and 2018. Their best result in the tournament was reaching the quarter-finals in 2014.
Ghana, on the other hand, failed to reach the final for the third time, after 2006 and 2010, when they reached the quarter-finals before losing to Uruguay.
Colombia settled the match against their former Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz early, after Arias followed up a cross from substitute Luis Soares into the net in the 14th minute.
Despite the early goal, Colombia did not succeed in consolidating their progress, after their players wasted several chances, especially Bayern Munich striker Luis Dias, while Ghana posed a great danger except in limited attempts.
Ghana started the game with an early threat through Thomas Partey, but goalkeeper Camilo Vargas blocked his effort in the fourth minute.
Colombia were forced to make an early substitution after John Córdoba was injured, replacing Luis Soares in the eighth minute, before Ghana was forced to take out Marvin Senaya with injury and bring on Christopher Bah.
Ghanaian goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zige shined on more than one occasion, saving Yohan Mujika's header before half-time, then deflecting dangerous attempts from Luis Dias, Davinson Sanchez and Richard Reus in the second half.
Despite Colombian pressure in the final minutes, the result remained the same, as Colombia continued its journey in the tournament and faced Switzerland in the eighth of the final.
Colombia coach: We qualified with our defensive solidity
Colombia head coach Nestor Lorenzo praised his team's defensive performance after the victory, saying his players played a great game defensively, especially after wasting a number of opportunities that would have decided the match early.
"I liked the way we defended after we created many chances and didn't succeed in converting them into goals," he said at the press conference, adding: "I really appreciate our ability to limit the danger of the opponent, except for some clear chances that he had, the players managed to stay focused until the end."
The Position of James and Córdoba
The Colombia coach touched on the replacement of James Rodriguez, stressing that the decision was technical and not due to injury: "James is fine and did not suffer any injury, and the change was for tactical reasons."
Lorenzo pointed out that a number of the team's players suffered from flu-like symptoms during the match, while explaining that John Córdoba is the only player who ended the match suffering from an injury, pointing out that the size of the match will be determined after undergoing medical examinations.
Lorenzo stressed the difficulty of facing Switzerland in the round of 16, pointing to the strength of his opponent in various lines, saying: "Switzerland is a very organized team, with distinctive elements from midfield to attack, and performing at good levels throughout the tournament. It's going to be a tough game for sure."