A nice feeling but I’m disappointed – Luckassen reflects on dream World Cup goal

Ghana defender Derrick Luckassen says scoring on his FIFA World Cup debut was a special moment, but admitted the joy was overshadowed by the Black Stars’ 2-1 defeat to Croatia.

The 30-year-old marked his first appearance at football’s biggest tournament with a goal in the 73rd minute, drawing Ghana level against the 2018 World Cup finalists at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday.

However, the celebrations were short-lived as Nikola Vlašić restored Croatia’s lead moments later, condemning Ghana to defeat in their final Group L fixture.

Reflecting on the landmark moment after the match, Luckassen said the result prevented him from fully enjoying his first World Cup goal.

“It’s a nice feeling to score, but I am a bit disappointed about the loss,” he said.

Luckassen also assessed Ghana’s overall display, admitting the Black Stars struggled to make the most of their possession in the opening half before producing a much-improved performance after the break.

“In the first half, we had the ball, but we didn’t do a lot. We were just playing around. In the second half, we pressed forward and tried to put the balls in, and it was much better, in my opinion,” he added.

The Pafos defender was handed his first World Cup start after Jerome Opoku was rested as a precaution and seized the opportunity by registering his maiden international tournament goal.

Although the defeat ended Ghana’s group-stage campaign on a losing note, the Black Stars had already secured qualification for the knockout stage and will now turn their attention to the round of 32, where Luckassen will hope his memorable debut goal is the first of many on football’s biggest stage.

Jamaldeen Wiayuka

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