Black Stars defender Derrick Luckassen has stressed that Ghana’s World Cup journey should not stop at mere qualification, insisting the team is aiming much higher despite a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final Group L match on Saturday night in Philadelphia.
The four-time African champions fell short against the 2018 World Cup finalists, who opened the scoring in the 31st minute through Petar Sučić to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Ghana responded with renewed intensity after the break and eventually drew level in the 73rd minute when debutant Luckassen finished calmly to bring the Black Stars back into the contest.
However, the momentum shifted late on as Croatia reclaimed the lead in the 83rd minute, with Nikola Vlašić heading home from a corner to secure victory for the Europeans.
Despite the setback, Luckassen maintained that progress into the knockout stage should be viewed as a platform rather than a destination.
“We are through to the next round, and that is the most important thing,” he said.
“We hope we can go further because that is what we want. We will give our best to go further,” Luckassen added.
Ghana will now turn their attention to a Round of 32 showdown with Colombia at the Kansas City Stadium on Saturday, July 4.
