2026 World Cup: We will give our best to go further, says Derrick Luckassen ahead of Ghana v Colombia Round of 32 clash

Black Stars defender Derrick Luckassen has stressed that Ghana’s progress at the 2026 World Cup should only be seen as a starting point, not a final achievement, following their 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final Group L match on Saturday night at the Philadelphia Stadium.

Ghana were edged by the 2018 World Cup finalists after a late setback, despite a spirited second-half response that briefly revived hopes of a positive result.

Croatia opened the scoring in the 31st minute through Petar Sučić, who capitalised on early pressure to give the Europeans a deserved halftime lead.

After the restart, Ghana pushed forward with greater intent and found their reward in the 73rd minute when Luckassen, on his international debut, calmly finished to bring the Black Stars level.

But parity lasted only ten minutes. Nikola Vlašić struck in the 83rd minute, heading home from a corner to restore Croatia’s advantage and secure all three points.

Speaking after the match, the centre-back acknowledged the significance of Ghana’s qualification to the knockout stage but insisted the team’s ambitions stretch further.

​“We are through to the next round, and that is the most important thing," he said.

"We hope we can go further because that is what we want. We will give our best to go further," Luckassen added.

Ghana will now turn their attention to a Round of 32 clash against Colombia on Saturday, July 4, at the Kansas City Stadium.