Ghana captain Jordan Ayew has urged the Black Stars to take lessons from their group-stage defeat to Croatia as they shift focus to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The four-time African champions advanced to the Round of 32 despite a 2-1 loss to Croatia in their final Group L match, a result that saw them finish third in the group and book a first-ever competitive meeting with Colombia national football team.
Despite the setback, Ayew insists the mood in camp remains positive as Ghana prepare for a winner-takes-all clash on Saturday.
“It’s a World Cup game, and you want to win all your matches and keep the positivity. The result has not affected the mood, and we will learn from our mistakes,” Ayew told Flashscore.com.
The 34-year-old forward admitted Ghana struggled to maintain control of possession against Croatia and were punished for key errors at crucial moments.
He stressed the importance of immediate focus ahead of the knockout stage, where there is no margin for error.
“We stay positive. On to the next game. It was a weird game today. We were a bit sloppy in possession, and they capitalised on our mistake. The most important thing is to focus on the next game because it’s either you stay or you go home,” he added.
Ghana will now face Colombia in Kansas City on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 01:30 GMT.
The fixture marks the first competitive meeting between both nations and Ghana’s first appearance in the World Cup knockout stage since their dramatic quarter-final run in 2010, where they were eliminated by Uruguay in South Africa.
