Croatia Vs Ghana [2–1] – FIFA World Cup 2026: Zlatko Dalić Transition Tactics Prove Decisive – Tactical Analysis

Croatia met Ghana for their third and final match of Group L in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and Kockasti beat the Black Stars 2-1.

It is a result that earns Zlatko Dalić’s side second spot in the group.

Now, they travel to Toronto to face Portugal in the Round of 32.

Croatia’s journey in the group stage was not stellar.

Their 4-2 loss against England could have affected them a little bit, but they were able to make up for that with two convincing wins against Panama and Ghana, using their World Cup experience to reach the knockout phase as second in their group.

On the other hand, Ghana’s third-place finish grants them qualification too, as they collected four points thanks to their win against Panama and a precious draw against England.

Next, they face Colombia in Kansas City.

In this World Cup tactical analysis, we explore Croatia’s shooting from distance and counterattacking plans against Ghana, while looking at Carlos Queiroz’s second-half changes in terms of formation and players, as well as the impact of those changes on the team’s attacking performance.

Croatia Vs Ghana Lineups & Formations

Croatia Lineup Vs Ghana

Dalić relied on a 4-2-3-1 formation for this match, with Dominik Livaković as the goalkeeper, and a defensive line of Marin Pongračić and Josip Šutalo as centre-backs, Josip Stanišić as a right-back, and Ivan Perišić as a left-back.

The midfield was made up of Mateo Kovačić and Luka Modrić as central midfielders, with Nikola Vlašić and Martin Baturina as wingers, and Petar Sučić as the advanced playmaker just behind the striker, Ante Budimir.

Ghana Lineup Vs Croatia

Queiroz chose to start using the 4-1-4-1 formation with Benjamin Asare in goal, Jonas Adjetey and Derrick Luckassen as centre-backs, Marvin Senaya as a right-back, and Gideon Mensah as a left-back.

In midfield, Queiroz relied on Thomas Partey as the defensive midfielder, Elisha Owusu and Kwasi Sibo as central midfielders, while Antoine Semenyo and Kamaldeen Sulemana played on the wings, supporting the striker Jordan Ayew.

Croatia Dangerous Counterattacking, High Recoveries & Shooting From Distance

In a very tactical match that demanded close attention to defence, with both teams maintaining a relatively high defensive line while remaining compact and alert to the opponent’s attacks, Croatia relied on counterattacks to disrupt Ghana’s defensive organisation.

In fact, Croatia were only able to threaten Ghana seriously in the 16^th minute of the match, as both teams failed to create tangible attacks or threats on goals before that.

With Ghana using Partey extensively in their build-up from the back, Ghana succeeded in avoiding counterattacks while reaching Croatia’s half easily, with Partey initiating actions while positioning himself between both centre-backs.

This helped Ghana avoid the high pressure and make use of Partey’s passing skills.

Croatia’s first successful solution to Ghana’s remarkable build-up ideas was created thanks to exploiting an inaccurate backward pass from Sulemana.

Budimir was opportunistic enough to intercept that pass, quickly provide a pass to Sučić while advancing to propose a passing solution at the back of Ghana’s defence.

Meanwhile, Sučić was creative enough to pretend that he was going to pass the ball back to Budimir’s running direction, while actually passing it to Vlašić, who was better-positioned for shooting from distance.

Sučić’s decision was rewarding in the end since Vlašić was put in a suitable situation for shooting, and the proof for that is that his shot hit the post and went out.