Colombia 1-0 Ghana Jhon Arias scored the decisive goal as Colombia defeated Ghana 1-0 in Kansas City on Friday to book their place in the FIFA World Cup last 16 and continue their quietly impressive march through the tournament. Arias struck early in the first half after being picked out by Luis Suárez, and Colombia's disciplined defence did the rest, securing a hard-fought victory that sets up a mouth-watering last-16 clash against Switzerland. Having topped Group K ahead of Portugal, Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo without suffering defeat, Néstor Lorenzo's side arrived at the knockout stage as one of the tournament's dark horses. Their latest display only strengthened that reputation. Colombia's plans were disrupted almost immediately when striker Jhon Córdoba limped off with an apparent groin injury after just eight minutes, forcing Lorenzo into an early reshuffle. Suárez, introduced from the bench, made an instant impact. Six minutes after entering the fray, he drifted into space on the left before delivering a pinpoint cross to the back post, where Arias had ghosted in unmarked to steer a composed finish into the bottom corner. The 14th-minute strike proved enough to separate the sides. The atmosphere inside the stadium was overwhelmingly Colombian, with tens of thousands of supporters transforming the venue into a sea of yellow, blue and red. Chants of ¡Vamos Colombia! echoed around the ground throughout as the South Americans enjoyed what felt like a home match thousands of kilometres from Bogotá. Roared on by their fans, Colombia dominated much of the contest. Luis Díaz was a constant menace down the left wing and twice came close to doubling the lead. He first fired into the side netting before believing he had scored early in the second half after finishing from Arias' cross, only for the offside flag to cut his celebrations short. Colombia continued to create opportunities, but Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi produced a series of outstanding saves to keep the Black Stars within touching distance. The shot-stopper denied Díaz and several other Colombian attackers with excellent reflex stops, ensuring the contest remained alive until the closing whistle. Ghana struggled to create clear openings despite enjoying more possession late in the match. Antoine Semenyo was their most dangerous attacking outlet, but Colombia's well-organised back line, marshalled superbly throughout and never allowed the Black Stars to build sustained pressure. The victory makes Colombia the fourth South American nation to reach the last 16, joining Argentina, Brazil and surprise package Paraguay, who stunned Germany earlier in the knockout stage. For Colombia, whose best-ever World Cup finish came with a run to the quarter-finals in 2014, belief continues to grow that another deep run is possible. Their next challenge comes on Tuesday in Vancouver against Switzerland, where Lorenzo's side will look to extend an unbeaten campaign that is gathering momentum with every passing match.
