Ghana have reached the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time since their famous run to the 2010 quarter-finals, even after losing 2-1 to Croatia on Saturday night.
The Black Stars had already done enough earlier in the group to book their place, and a third-place finish sets up a Round of 32 meeting with Colombia.
The mood was very different for hundreds of Ghana supporters outside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Some had traveled more than 5,000 miles from Accra, only to watch the game from the sidewalk — never making it through the gate.
Hundreds of Ghana fans never got inside vs Croatia
According to The Athletic, no one outside the stadium seemed sure who was actually holding the tickets. Some believed a fan association representative was due to arrive with them.
One supporter said she thought tickets promised to the group had instead been sold on the resale market.
Not long after kick-off, police numbers at the gate doubled, then tripled, with officers saying they were there for “security” and as a “precaution.”
There were a few tense exchanges, but most fans simply waited on their phones, hoping something would come through. Nothing did. Around half an hour after kickoff, police moved the group back toward the parking lots.
Reaching the United States has been hard for many fans from Africa and Asia, with visa refusals and entry problems making headlines throughout the group stage. These supporters had cleared that hurdle. They were in the country and at the ground — only to be turned away within yards of the action.
Exactly what went wrong is still anyone’s guess, but it’s not a mistake those fans will be repeating in the coming rounds.
The game they came to see
Petar Sucic gave Croatia the lead in the 31st minute with a strike from distance. Ghana levelled late on, Derrick Luckassen forcing in a set piece in the 73rd minute after a lengthy VAR check.
The parity did not last. Nikola Vlasic headed Croatia back in front in the 83rd from a Luka Modric corner — the 40-year-old becoming the oldest player ever to lay on a World Cup assist.
The result left England top of Group L and Croatia second. Ghana finished third but went through as one of the best third-placed sides.
For the African side, attention now turns to Colombia, and a knockout tie their traveling fans will be determined to actually get inside for.
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