ESPN News Services
Jul 4, 2026, 01:12 AM ET
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Jhon Arias scored off a sharp cross from Luis Suárez in the opening minutes, and Colombia controlled Ghana on a sweltering night at Arrowhead Stadium, allowing Los Cafeteros to advance to the round of 16 at the World Cup with a 1-0 victory Friday night.
Colombia will play Switzerland on Tuesday in Vancouver, British Columbia, for a spot in the quarterfinals.
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This was Colombia's second-ever World Cup knockout-stage win and first since 2014, when they reached the quarterfinals in Brazil.
The game was just minutes old when Colombia forward Jhon Córdoba appeared to hurt his groin, forcing coach Néstor Lorenzo to bring Suárez -- the standout from Sporting CP -- off the bench as an early substitute.
He factored into the game immediately: In the 14th minute, Daniel Muñoz played a ball to Suárez, who sent it across the front of the goal, where Arias was waiting to flick it past Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi for a 1-0 lead.
Lorenzo said afterward that Córdoba "felt a pull" but will need to undergo tests to determine the seriousness of the issue.
Los Cafeteros thought they had doubled their lead in the 56th minute, when Luis Díaz scored but an offside flag was raised, and the fleet-footed Colombia forward had a point-blank shot saved by Zigi a few minutes later.
Zigi finished with seven saves to keep Ghana in the game.
Ghana failed to have a shot on goal as Colombia secured their third straight shutout.
Veteran playmaker James Rodríguez, who scored both goals in a win over Uruguay to put Colombia in the quarterfinals in 2014, was making his 10th World Cup start, tying Carlos Valderrama and Freddy Rincón for the most among Colombian players in the tournament.
However, Rodríguez, 34, exited Friday's game at halftime.
"There were several players who had flu-like symptoms, and we were anticipating that they might have greater fatigue," Lorenzo said. "But it was a tactical substitution at that moment."
It was 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31.1 Celsius), with a heat index of 96, when the game kicked off at 8:30 p.m. local time, the late start intentional due to the expected heat of Midwestern summers. The hydration breaks that have been controversial in so many matches suddenly became a blessing, as players from both sides fought through dehydration and cramps.
Colombia had breezed through the group stage, conceding only one goal in wins over Uzbekistan and Congo DR and a draw with Portugal. Los Cafeteros had been so impressive that Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, whose team is considered among the tournament favorites, tapped them as "a candidate to win the World Cup."
"We have won absolutely nothing," Colombia star Díaz said. "These games are very difficult. Every game we've seen has been tight. The good thing and the positive thing is that we're playing very well, we feel comfortable, we are being a family, we are working as a team, and that will work for what is coming."
Their fans certainly believe in them.
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Leboeuf 'disappointed' with Ghana's performance vs. Colombia
The home of the NFL's Chiefs has three levels of seats with a band of yellow ones sandwiched between red. Yet the entire bowl of the stadium just east of downtown Kansas City was awash in the vibrant yellow of Colombia about two hours before kickoff.
Ghana knew they would be underdogs. Yet, the team that failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations last year for the first time in nearly two decades had already answered plenty of critics by surviving a difficult group that was topped by England and Croatia.
The question as it faced Colombia: Could Ghana mount enough offense?
As expected, Los Cafeteros dominated the ball -- the Black Stars had possessed it just 36.1% of the time in the group stage, second lowest of any team that advanced, and those offensive issues continued against Colombia. Even when Ghana put together an attack, Colombia were there to quickly counter with the speed of Suárez, Díaz and their midfielders.
"Intense game. Tough game for both teams, I guess, as I expected," Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said. "Colombia started the game as we expected, full speed, a lot of intensity, passing. We tried to answer and stop them, but unfortunately, the goal came too early for us."
ESPN's Bill Connelly and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
