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An early strike from Jhon Arias helped Colombia secure their FIFA World Cup round of 16 spot, beating Ghana 1-0 in their round of 32 clash at Kansas City on Friday.
Colombia, the 2014 edition quarterfinalists, will now take on Switzerland on July 8. Colombia dominated the match with over 60 per cent of ball possession and managed to make 19 touches in their opposition's box as compared to Ghana's eight. Colombia's 20 shots were also more than Ghana's total of eight, which could not get even a single shot on target. Luis Suarez had come to the field to replace an injured Jhon Cordoba in the eighth minute, beat multiple defenders down the right wing, while it was Arias who came out on top with a bottom corner finish. Ghana and Colombia continued to produce chances for the rest of the half-time to no avail, with the first half ending in favour of Colombia at 1-0, who dominated with 66 per cent ball possession and a total of eight touches inside the opponents' box. In the 57th minute, Luis Diaz netted the ball into the net to double Colombia's lead, only to see his effort being ruled out for offside. Despite the substitutions introduced by Carlos Queiroz, Ghana failed to breach a solid Colombian defence and made their exit in the round of 32. Ghana are yet to match their best-ever finish, a quarterfinal finish in 2010. (ANI)
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