Croatia defeated Ghana 2-1 on June 27 in Philadelphia, with goals from Petar Susic and Nikola Vlasic securing second place in Group L and advancement to the knockout stage. Ghana scored through Derrick Luckassen on his debut but finished third. All match details derive from CNA reporting.
No left-leaning sources covered this
“Vlasic header sends Croatia into World Cup knockouts with 2-1 win over Ghana”
Read at CNA →No right-leaning sources covered this
Croatia’s victory highlights structural imbalances favoring European teams through resources and historical advantages, while Ghana showed resilience despite limited preparation.
“Uneven global playing field shaped by FIFA governance and colonial legacies”
The result rewards Croatian cohesion, discipline, and tactical execution, with VAR confirming procedural fairness in upholding Ghana’s goal.
“Earned merit and consistent rule application over external pressures”
Individual actions by Vlasic, Modric, Susic, and Luckassen determined the outcome in a decentralized structure based on performance rather than mandates.
“Voluntary competition and personal agency within fixed rules”
All three perspectives overlook coach risk calculation, group-stage arithmetic contingencies, and narrow high-variance moments like the post strike and free-kick sequence.
“Concrete managerial and contingent details ignored by ideological abstractions”
Ratings by MBFC