The Black Stars of Ghana will play in their first-ever FIFA World Cup Round of 32 fixture when they face off against Colombia’s Los Cafeteros at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
The match will be played at 8:30 PM KCK (1:30 PM GMT) on Friday night. This would be Africa’s last match at the Round of 32, and with 5 of the 9 African teams to make it to the knockouts already eliminated, the continent would be hoping the Black Stars can make them proud on the world stage once again.
2024 Copa America finalists and Group K toppers, Colombia, may come into this match as favourites, but while they are an excellent team, they are not invincible.
Here are five ways Ghana can beat Colombia tonight.
1. Do not leave gaps in the half-spaces or in behind the defence
With a star-studded attacking armada including the likes of Luis Diaz, James Rodriguez, Luis Suarez (not *that* one), Jhon Arias, Juan Fernando Quintero, Cucho Hernandez, and Jorge Carrascal, Colombia are one of the most dangerous sides in international football.
And this is evidenced by their 59 shots, 8 big chances, 4.29 xG created and 4 goals scored in just 3 games of group football against Uzbekistan, D.R.C, and a much-fancied Portugal outfit.
One of the keys behind their potent attack is the amount of space opponents leave them in. Creative playmakers such as James Rodriguez and Juan Fernando Quintero love to drift into pockets of space behind the midfield and into half-spaces (between the box and the touchline) to receive the ball and produce moments of magic to beat a man and/or find a teammate.
Dynamic forwards like Luis Diaz, Luis Suarez, and Jhon Arias prefer to use their pace to sprint in behind the defensive line and into the space left behind. And in addition to the offensive-minded players listed, midfielders such as Richard Ríos, Gustavo Puerta, and Jefferson Lerma can also be dangerous if given the chance to shoot from 25 yards or less.
Ghana must try to stifle any space available, just as they did against England. Queiroz’s low block should make life difficult for runners in behind, while playing Yirenkyi and Sibo in the false-fullback roles they were in against England should cover the half-spaces.
They must also learn from their mistakes against Croatia and quickly close down any opponent setting himself up for a strike from distance.
2. Stay tight to James and Diaz
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Yes, Luis Suarez, Jhon Arias, Juan Fernando Quintero, and Cucho Hernandez are all dangerous attackers who cannot be left alone.
But special attention must be given to Colombia’s superstars: James Rodriguez and Luis Diaz. Now a 34-yer-old veteran captain and ‘paragonic’ figurehead of the Colombian national side, James Rodriguez burst onto the world scene as a hot prospect at the World Cup 12 years ago in Brazil.
The then 22-year-old mercurial playmaker became Colombia’s all-time top scorer at a World Cup on his first attempt, winning the Golden Boot and Goal of the Tournament as he carried Colombia to the quarterfinals with resplendent performances before they were beaten by hosts Brazil.
A decade later, and with many thinking he could no longer produce for the national team, James provided 6 assists as Colombia shocked everyone to reach the 2024 Copa America final. His club career may not have hit the ionospheric heights of his displays for Los Cafeteros, but James is certainly in the conversation for the greatest Colombian footballer of all time.
And with 10 chances already created in his 3 group games at this World Cup, the ex-Real Madrid star remains a lynchpin of the Colombian attack. However, he is no longer the ‘main man’ in the Colombian setup. That honour goes to Bayern superstar Luis Diaz, who has hit heights with Bayern Munich this season that few ever thought possible.
A relentless winger with bags of pace and trickery, Diaz produced an incredible 26 goals and 19 assists (45 goal contributions) in 51 games as Bayern cruised to another domestic treble. The former Liverpool man has always delivered for the national team too, with 23 goals and 8 assists for Los Cafeteros in 77 games.
Making sure neither of these stars has the freedom to operate should be one of Ghana’s priorities against Colombia.
3. Start Semenyo on the left wing
There is no debating that Antoine Semenyo has had an underwhelming start to his Black Stars career. The £60-million Manchester City man has only registered 3 goals and 1 assist in 37 matches for the Black Stars since making his debut against Madagascar in 2022.
This figure pales significantly in comparison to his club form this season, in which he contributed 21 goals and 6 assists across 48 matches for AFC Bournemouth and Manchester City. What could be the reason for the contrast between his club and national team form?
Some speculate that the tactics are the issue, with Semenyo playing under heavily defensive-minded coaches in Otto Addo, Chris Houghton, and Carlos Queiroz. Others claim he has his spaces clogged in the Black Stars by other attackers such as captain Jordan Ayew and Tottenham star Mohammed Kudus.
Whatever the case, Semenyo remains an important player, and Ghanaians believe that his club form will translate to the national side sooner rather than later. (Un)fortunately for Ghana, opponents believe it too.
The Manchester City winger has ‘gravity’ on the pitch for Ghana: his reputation draws extra attention from defenders which impacts his performance but frees up space for his teammates to do damage. This gravity must be utilised to its fullest extent against Colombia and their rampaging right-back, Daniel
Muñoz. Muñoz has carved out a reputation for himself as a marauding fullback or wingback who loves to drive forward on or off the ball and get into position high up the pitch to score or assist. And as good as he has been and is for Crystal Palace, his best performances have also come in a Colombian shirt.
Muñoz already has an impressive 8 goal contributions in 49 Los Cafeteros appearances from defence, including 2 goals in 3 games so far at this World Cup.
Playing Semenyo on the left wing would either limit Muñoz’s forward movement, thus taking away one of Colombia’s biggest offensive weapons, or leave the Manchester City forward in acres of space to exploit if Muñoz goes forward and the ball is turned over.
4. Force them to resort to crosses from settled play
Colombia are a side with very good crossers of the ball. Centre-backs Jhon Lucumi and Davinson Sanchez are huge aerial threats from set-piece situations, and James Rodriguez and Juan Fernando Quintero may be regarded as dead-ball specialists with their excellent technique and accuracy.
But Colombia are not a very tall side in general, and their forwards are not as potent in the air from open play. Of his 138 recorded professional goals since moving to Europe’s topflight, striker Luis Suarez has scored just 4 headers.
Left winger Luis Diaz is slightly more effective in the air with 7 headed goals in his career. And standing at 5’7”, Palmeiras right winger has only scored 1 header as a professional.
Their biggest aerial threat from crosses in open play is right-back Daniel Muñoz, who has shown a knack for getting into dangerous positions in the box and getting on the end of crosses.
But as referenced in the section above, starting Antoine Semenyo on the left wing should nullify Muñoz’s attacking threat considerably.
With Luis Diaz tightly marked and Muñoz accounted for, Ghana should shut off central zones and limit Colombia to deep and wide crosses into the box for Luis Suarez and Jhon Arias, who should prove no match in the air for Ghana’s defensive duo of Jerome Opoku and Jonas Adjeyey.
The centre-back pair won 6 aerial duels against Panama and England and made 27 clearances as they shut out both teams on the way to crucial clean sheets and points in Ghana’s first 2 group games. With Colombia dexterous and quick with the ball on the ground, forcing them to put it in the air might be the best approach for the Black Stars.
5. Play with a False 9
It is hard to recall a time in Ghana’s history when the Black Stars have played without a recognised striker. From Wilberforce Mfum to Anas ‘Thunder’ Seidu, George Alhassan to Tony Yeboah, to the days of Joe Debrah and Shamo Quaye before the Asamoah Gyan era, Ghana have always had a striker leading the line and tasked with the production of goals.
Jordan Ayew had massive boots to fill following the retirement of all-time top scorer Asamoah Gyan and has done a decent job, becoming Ghana’s fourth all-time top scorer himself with 33 goals and 20 assists in 121 appearances and contributing to 14 goals in 10 games to help Ghana reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
But against Colombia’s powerful centre-back pairing of Jhon Lucumi and Davinson Sanchez, it may be better for the former Crystal Palace Player of the Year to start off the bench.
Jordan has lost some athleticism over the years and although his holdup play is still serviceable, the Colombian pair are stronger on paper and would relish any physical duel.
They also have excellent recovery pace and are rarely beaten with balls in behind, meaning starting Prince Adu in Jordan’s place may not be thoroughly effective. The solution? Play without a natural number 9 and add an extra body to the midfield instead.
This tactic draws out the centre-backs to the midfield instead of giving them individual duels to dominate, creating gaps for diagonal runs into the vacated spaces from wingers such as Antoine Semenyo. If they refuse to follow the false 9 into midfield, Colombia’s midfield would be outnumbered 4 to 3.
3 Black Stars who have the tools to play as a false 9 are Brandon Thomas-Asante, Ernest Nuamah, and Augustine Boakye. Brandon Thomas-Asante is a similar profile to Antoine Semenyo in the sense that he has the versatility to play across the forward line and as a second striker.
BTA’s excellent decision-making was on display with his assist against Panama, and he has the technical security and tactical intelligence to do a good job as the false 9 against Panama. Ernest Nuamah is more of a natural winger with a plethora of pace and skill, but he has played and shone in central areas for former club FC Nordsjaelland and could rotate with the wingers to stretch out the Colombian defence.
Augustine Boakye is the best fit for the false 9 role in the team, given that he has actually played and excelled there for Saint-Etienne in Ligue 2 this season.
A highly intelligent and dynamic attacking midfielder who loves to shoot, Augustine Boakye is yet to make his Black Stars debut but could be just the man Ghana need to break down this Colombian defence.
Colombia are one of the best international teams in world football right now, and they must be accorded that respect by the Black Stars tonight. But there is no reason to doubt the ability of the Black Stars, and if we set up to play in the right way and execute our game plan well, we can beat them and progress to the next round.
Predicted Colombia XI (433) – Vargas; Muñoz,Sánchez, Lucumí, Mojica; Puerta, James, Lerma; Arias, Suárez, Díaz
Predicted Ghana XI (433) – Asare; Senaya, Adjetey, Opoku, Mensah; Yirenkyi, Partey, Sibo; Fatawu, Thomas-Asante, Semenyo
By Nene Afadzinu
