Jhon Arias scored off a sharp cross from Luis Suárez in the opening minutes, and Colombia controlled Ghana on a sweltering night at Arrowhead Stadium, allowing Los Cafeteros to advance to the Round of 16 at the World Cup with a 1-0 victory Friday night.
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Colombia will play Switzerland on Tuesday in Vancouver, British Columbia, for a spot in the quarterfinals.
The game was just minutes old when Colombia forward Jhon Córdoba appeared to hurt his groin, forcing coach Néstor Lorenzo to bring Suárez — the standout from Sporting CP, not the Inter Miami star of the same name — off the bench as an early substitute.
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He factored into the game immediately: In the 14th minute, Daniel Muñoz played a ball to Suárez, who sent it across the front of the goal, where Arias was waiting to flick it past Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi for a 1-0 lead.
It was 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31.1 Celsius) with a heat index of 96 when the game kicked off at 8:30 p.m. local time, the late start intentional due to the expected heat of Midwestern summers. The hydration breaks that have been controversial in so many matches suddenly became a blessing as players from both sides fought through dehydration and cramps.
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