Colombia 1-0 Ghana player ratings: Luis Suarez dazzles as Jordan Ayew endures miserable outing

Colombia earned a comfortable 1-0 win over Ghana in the final 2026 World Cup round of 32 clash at the Kansas City Stadium on Saturday. 

Jhon Arias scored the only goal of the match as La Tricolour move into the last 16 for the first time since 2018. 

Ghana remain winless against South American opposition in the World Cup, and they lacked real quality to hurt Colombia. 

Here, Sports Mole provides player ratings from the World Cup Round of 32 clash.

Colombia ratings vs. Ghana: Luis Suarez dazzles 

© Imago / IMAGO / Sports Press Photo

GOALKEEPER

Camilo Vargas - 7/10

With Ghana failing to register a shot on target, Vargas had a quiet afternoon and was largely limited to organising his defence and distributing the ball from the back.

DEFENCE

Daniel Munoz - 8/10

Davinson Sanchez - 7/10

Jhon Lucumi - 7/10

Johan Mojica - 7/10

Colombia have now kept a clean sheet in each of their last three matches at the 2026 World Cup, underlining how disciplined and well organised they have been defensively.

Sanchez and Mojica both came close to getting on the scoresheet with headers in either half, but the Ghana goalkeeper was equal to both efforts.

Munoz deserves special praise for an outstanding all-round display. The Crystal Palace defender made three tackles, two interceptions and delivered a superb cross for Mojica, who came close to doubling Colombia's lead.

MIDFIELD

Gustavo Puerta - 8/10

Jefferson Lerma - 7/10

Jhon Arias - 8/10

Arias scored the only goal of the match with a superb first-time finish, but Puerta deserves just as much credit for his commanding display in midfield.

The 22-year-old covered every blade of grass, dropping deep to support the defence, shielding the back four in the holding role and driving Colombia forward with intelligent passes. He also created chances for both Luis Diaz and Luis Suarez in an outstanding all-round performance.

ATTACK

Luis Diaz - 7/10

James Rodriguez - 5/10

Jhon Cordoba - NA

Diaz can be exhilarating one moment and frustrating the next, and this performance summed him up perfectly.

Brimming with confidence after an excellent campaign with Bayern Munich, the winger was a constant threat whenever he ran at the Ghana defence.

He thought he had doubled Colombia's lead from close range, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Soon after, he was presented with another excellent opportunity but could only fire straight at Lawrence Ati-Zigi.

SUBSTITUTES

Luis Suarez - 9/10

Juan Quintero - 6/10

Richard Rios - 7/10

Jaminton Campaz - NA

Suarez probably did not expect to be called into action so early, but he seized his opportunity with both hands.

After replacing the injured Jhon Cordoba inside the opening 10 minutes, the experienced forward made an immediate impact, delivering a sumptuous cross for Jhon Arias to score the only goal of the match.

He remained a constant threat throughout, linking play intelligently and leading the line superbly in a match-winning performance.

Ghana ratings vs. Colombia: Zigi outstanding 

© Imago

GOALKEEPER

Lawrence Ati Zigi - 9/10

The scoreline could easily have been much heavier had it not been for Ati-Zigi's outstanding display.

The 29-year-old produced a Gordon Banks-esque save to deny Johan Mojica in the first half before making a string of heroic stops after the break, including excellent saves to keep out Luis Diaz and Davinson Sanchez from close range.

DEFENCE

Marvin Senaya - NA

Derrick Luckassen - 6/10

Jerome Opoku - 6/10

Gideon Mensah - 6/10

There was little to separate Ghana's defenders individually, but the back line switched off at crucial moments as they chased an equaliser.

Their game plan was clearly to frustrate Colombia with a compact low block, but conceding an early goal forced them to abandon that approach far sooner than they would have liked.

MIDFIELD

Thomas Partey - 7/10

Inaki Williams- 6/10

Caleb Yirenkyi - 5/10

Kwasi Sibo - 5/10

Antoine Semenyo - 7/10

Semenyo arrived at the tournament as Ghana's biggest star following his big-money move to Manchester City.

The attacker enjoyed an outstanding 2025-26 campaign, but his World Cup ended in frustration as he failed to register a single shot on target.

Partey controlled midfield well and went close with a long-range effort that drifted just wide. However, Yirenkyi could have done better defensively, leaving Jhon Arias unmarked inside the box for the opening goal.

ATTACK

Jordan Ayew - 4/10

A disappointing performance from Ghana's most experienced player.

His movement was limited, he struggled to influence the game in the final third, and he failed to make any meaningful contribution before being substituted in the 79th minute.

SUBSTITUTES

Alidu Seidu - 6/10

Elisha Owusu - 6/10

Prince Kwabena Adu - 5/10

Abdul Fatawu - 5/10

Ernest Nuamah - 5/10

Carlos Queiroz turned to his bench in search of a way back into the game, but none of the substitutions managed to change the momentum.

With this defeat, Ghana became the seventh of the nine African nations to be eliminated in the Round of 32, leaving only Morocco and Egypt to carry the continent's hopes in the tournament.