Black Stars forward Brandon Thomas-Asante has dismissed suggestions that Ghana approached their final FIFA World Cup Group L match against Croatia without the desire to win to avoid certain countries in the next round.

Instead, he said the disappointment in the dressing room after the match reflected the squad's ambition to finish the group campaign on a high and maintain the momentum built from their earlier performances against Panama and England.

Speaking after Ghana's defeat, Thomas-Asante said the players were determined to extend their unbeaten run despite knowing before kick-off that they had already booked a place in the Round of 32.

"I think part of it is to do with the fact that it speaks to the ambition in the squad – we wanted to win today," he said.

The striker rejected any suggestion that the Black Stars were content with merely preserving their place in the knockout phase, stressing that the mentality within the camp has always been to compete for victory in every match.

"There's sometimes talk of, I know, the previous game of wanting a draw or something, but that's never the case," he stated.

Ghana entered the Croatia encounter with qualification already guaranteed after collecting four points from their opening two matches, including a dramatic late victory over Panama and a hard-fought draw against England.

Although they had already secured progression under the expanded 48-team World Cup format, the Black Stars sought to finish top of Group L and carry maximum confidence into the knockout stage.

Thomas-Asante said the players responded positively after falling behind, throwing numbers forward in search of an equaliser before eventually finding a breakthrough.

"When we conceded, we went after the game and we got the breakthrough. Of course, we wanted to hold out and to push again, but that wasn't to be today," he said.

Despite the defeat, Ghana progressed to the Round of 32, where they will continue their quest for a place in the latter stages of the tournament.