Thomas-Asante Insists Black Stars Went All Out for Win Against Croatia Despite Pre-Secured Qualification

Black Stars striker Brandon Thomas-Asante has pushed back strongly against suggestions that Ghana were not fully committed to winning their final FIFA World Cup Group L fixture against Croatia, insisting the mood in the dressing room afterwards proved the squad's desire to finish the group phase on top.

Speaking following the defeat, the forward pointed to the team's ambition as the clearest evidence that no one within the camp was satisfied with simply seeing out the game. Ghana had already secured qualification for the Round of 32 ahead of kick-off, having collected four points from their opening two matches — a late win over Panama and a creditable draw with England.

"I think part of it is to do with the fact that it speaks to the ambition in the squad – we wanted to win today," Thomas-Asante said. He was equally direct in dismissing any notion that the Black Stars had been angling for a particular scoreline to manipulate the bracket. "There's sometimes talk of, I know, the previous game of wanting a draw or something, but that's never the case," he added.

Thomas-Asante acknowledged that after conceding, the players pushed forward in search of an equaliser and were eventually rewarded with a goal, though they could not hold on for a share of the spoils. "When we conceded, we went after the game and we got the breakthrough. Of course, we wanted to hold out and to push again, but that wasn't to be today," he noted.

Ghana's participation in the expanded 48-team World Cup tournament means that finishing third in a group is no longer fatal to a side's chances, and the Black Stars had already guaranteed their place in the next round before facing Croatia. Despite the Group L defeat, they advance to the Round of 32, where they will look to build on the positive momentum gathered earlier in the competition.