Black Stars defender Jerome Opoku has expressed pride in his performance despite Ghana’s narrow defeat to Colombia, insisting he gave everything he could to help the team during their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 encounter.
The İstanbul Başakşehir centre-back featured prominently as Ghana’s impressive World Cup journey came to an end following a 1-0 loss to the South Americans in Kansas City. An early strike from Jhon Arias proved enough to send Colombia into the Round of 16, while the Black Stars bowed out after a spirited campaign.
Reflecting on his individual display after the match, Opoku said he had no regrets about his commitment on the pitch.
“I think I gave the team what was needed at every moment,” Opoku said after the game.
The 26-year-old admitted the result was disappointing but acknowledged Colombia deserved credit for capitalising on their opportunity.
“They won the game 1-0, so that’s really it. The game plan was to win. There’s not much I can say. Colombia have done that. We didn’t, so congratulations to Colombia.”
Although Ghana failed to progress beyond the Round of 32, Opoku’s composed performances throughout the tournament earned praise as the Black Stars returned to the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time since 2010.
The defender is now expected to turn his attention to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where Ghana will be aiming to build on the positives from their World Cup campaign and return stronger on the continental stage.
