You would have thought the early goal would force Ghana to be more adventurous in their play, but they were toothless, at least in the first half.

The Ghanaian intent grew when substitutions were introduced. Abdul Fatawu and Ernest Nuamah brought a new lease of life and much needed attacking impetus to a limp frontline, but ultimately they were freed from the shackles too late.

Colombia were in cruise control ten minutes into the second half - or so they thought. Thomas Partey had his pocket picked in midfield and Colombia constructed an overload. Jefferson Lerma spotted Luis Díaz at the far post, who slid home, but the offside flag spared Partey’s blushes.

The very next attack was a similar scenario - Gustavo Puerta swivelled and searched for Luis Díaz, who opened his body and forced another stop from Lawrence Ati-Zigi.

It was an early blow for Colombia as Jhon Córdoba was forced off with a groin injury, with Suárez replacing him. One man’s misfortune became another man’s opportunity.

Ghana then suffered an injury setback of their own as Marvin Senaya was replaced by Alidu Seidu. It marked the first time in World Cup history that both teams lost a player to injury inside the opening 15 minutes.

Following the game’s first hydration break, Ghana began showing signs of life. Antoine Semenyo, who had been ineffective for large parts of the half, started to find pockets of space and gradually grew into the game.

Just before half-time, Colombia were at their free-flowing best once again. The dangerous Luis Díaz drifted centrally and carried the ball unchallenged before playing it out to Daniel Muñoz, who floated a cross towards fellow full-back Johan Mojica. Mojica guided his effort on target, but Ati-Zigi produced an outstanding save, clawing the ball off the line to preserve the 1-0 scoreline.

As the whistle sounded for the first-half hydration break, Ghana could count themselves fortunate to be only one goal behind after being run ragged for much of the opening period.

Colombia advanced to the Round of 16 after a controlled and professional display that proved enough to see off Ghana. They struck early and managed key moments of the match with maturity, maintaining their structure even when Ghana attempted to build pressure in spells.

Their attacking play carried the main threat throughout, with Luis Díaz and Jhon Arias once again central to their forward momentum. So far in this tournament, they have had 79 shots and only scored five - they are prolific in creating chances, but not so prolific in converting them.

Colombia looked most dangerous when breaking quickly into space, while also showing composure in possession to slow the game down and control rhythm when needed.

At the other end of the pitch, it was yet another clean sheet - that is now three out of a possible four. The old adage of “attack wins you games, defence wins you titles,” springs to mind.

The win sets up a Round of 16 meeting with Switzerland, a side that shared a similar tactical identity in terms of structure, organisation, and willingness to transition quickly when space opened up. It  promises to be a finely balanced contest, where efficiency in both boxes and control in midfield would likely decide which side progresses further.

Ghana’s World Cup journey came to an end following their defeat to Colombia, as they were unable to recover from an early setback in a match where they struggled to impose themselves for large periods. Despite brief spells of improvement, they were ultimately second best in key moments and could not find a breakthrough to keep their hopes alive.

Their star players could not grab the game by the scruff of the neck, and the pragmatism of Carlos Queiroz proved fatal to their hopes - questions will undoubtedly be asked.

While their exit will feel sore at present, there were still positives to take from their overall tournament performance, including a scalp against England to qualify for the knockout stage, which proved a highlight of their campaign.