Derrick Luckassen scored Ghana’s equalizer against Kroatië, but the match still ended 2-1 to Kroatië. The goal briefly looked vulnerable to a foul call before VAR upheld it, and Ghana still left group L in third place while Kroatië went through second.
Luckassen’s 1-1 touch
Luckassen tapped in from a free kick to make it 1-1. That was the moment Ghana had needed to stay level after Kroatië had already taken control of the match.
The finish mattered because it came in a game that decided the final group standings on day 17 of the WK voetbal 2026. Both Ghana and Kroatië advanced, so the late swings did not change qualification, but they did fix the order: Kroatië second, Ghana third.
VAR backs the equalizer
The equalizer was not cleanly accepted at first. It was nearly ruled out for an alleged foul, then VAR checked the incident and the goal stood.
Later in the same match, Nikola Vlasic headed in Kroatië’s winner from a corner. That turned the 1-1 into a 2-1 result and kept Kroatië ahead of Ghana in the table.
Group L settles
Engeland’s 2-0 win over Panama also fed into the final group picture, with Engeland finishing as group winner. For Ghana, the practical takeaway is simple: the equalizer was enough to keep the path open, but not enough to move them above third. Kroatië finished the job at 2-1 and took the higher place in groep L.
