2026 WC: Carlos Queiroz calms Antoine Semenyo's injury fears ahead of Colombia tie

Carlos Queiroz moved to ease concerns over Antoine Semenyo's fitness after the forward appeared to pick up a knock late in Ghana's 2-1 defeat to Croatia in Philadelphia. Queiroz dismissed fears of a serious setback, stating, "It's just a knock; he will be alright." Semenyo went down inside the Croatian penalty area in the closing stages, received treatment, and was briefly seen limping, but completed the full 90 minutes.

Ghana slipped to third place in Group L following the loss, with goals from Petar Sučić and Nikola Vlašić overturning Derrick Luckassen's equaliser in Saturday's encounter. Queiroz pointed to defensive lapses as the key difference, saying, "Croatia scored two goals, two easy goals. Much too easy the way they scored. When you score one more goal than the opponent, you have the merit to win the game. Simple like that. It means we make one more mistake than the opponent, and when you make one more mistake than the opponent, that is it." Ghana now shifts focus to a Round of 32 clash against Colombia, scheduled for Saturday at Kansas City Stadium, with the 26-year-old Semenyo expected to be in action.