‘We want to top the group’: Kwasi Sibo eyes Croatia win as Ghana chase England

Sibo has made Ghana’s ambition clear, stating the team will be targeting nothing less than three points against Croatia in Philadelphia on Saturday as they seek to claim top spot in Group L.

The 28-year-old Real Oviedo midfielder was speaking after Ghana’s gritty 0-0 draw with England at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday night.

The result, secured through a defensive performance that Thomas Tuchel’s side could not break down despite having 79% possession and 19 shots to Ghana’s two, left the Black Stars level with England on four points and very much alive in the qualification picture.

“We want to get all three points against Croatia because we want to be leaders of the group and we are not looking back.”

Sibo, who screened the back line and helped neutralise Jude Bellingham for long stretches, had been one of Ghana’s most important players on the night.

Reflecting on the way the result came together, he kept the credit for the structure engineered by the coach.

“I think we did our best to get the results we were hoping for. It was the plan of the coach and we followed the plan.”

Ghana had two strong shouts ignored, a Pickford-Adu collision and a late Ezri Konsa challenge on Adu, both of which Queiroz felt should have been awarded against England showed glimpses of brilliance.

However, the clean sheet itself, against a side most rated as Group L favourites, was the biggest takeaway. Sibo described the experience as a turbo-charge for what comes next.

“It’s a great motivation for us to fight for the next game. Playing against a tough national team like England and getting such results is a big motivation for us.

“We defended a lot against England today, but I feel we got one chance that I feel could have given us the three points. Going against Croatia is going to be all in for the nation,” he added.

How the group stands

After two matchdays, England top Group L on goal difference with four points (1W-1D, GD +2), with Ghana second on four points (1W-1D, GD +1), Croatia third on three (1W-1L, GD -2) after edging Panama 1-0 on Matchday Two, and Panama bottom and already eliminated on zero points.

The two remaining fixtures decide everything. Ghana face Croatia at Philadelphia’s stadium, while England take on already-eliminated Panama at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

The maths is simple for the Black Stars. A win sends them throug; if they beat Croatia, they can finish top of the group if they better England's result against Panama.

A draw against Croatia secures qualification but would leave Ghana relying on the England-Panama result to determine final position.

A defeat opens up a far less comfortable picture, in which Ghana would need to be one of the eight best third-placed teams across the 12 groups to survive in the round of 32.

What awaits in the round of 32

The expanded 48-team World Cup means the knockout maths is more complex than at past tournaments, but the lines are starting to clarify with Group L approaching its final whistle.

Finish first, and Ghana would meet a third-placed team from one of Groups E, I, J or K in a round-of-32 fixture in Atlanta. 

Finish second, and Ghana would face the runner-up of Group K, currently a three-way contest between Portugal, DR Congo and Colombia, in a tie pencilled in for Toronto on July 2.

Finish third and squeak through as one of the best third-placed sides, and the path narrows sharply. Ghana would then face the winner of Group K, likely either Portugal or Colombia, in Kansas City.

The simplest path is the one Sibo has already pointed to: beat Croatia, top the group, and let the rest of the bracket arrange itself around Ghana’s position rather than Ghana’s around it.

Saturday in Philadelphia is, as the midfielder put it, “all in all for the nation.” The Black Stars know exactly what is on the line and exactly what they want to do with it.