Ghana go into their final group game against Croatia on Saturday knowing that results elsewhere have already secured them their place in the World Cup knockout stages for the first time since 2010.
Zlatko Dalic's side know a draw would be enough to secure them progress, but only a win will take them above the Africans as Group L runners-up, and even possibly winners.
Ghana's four points in the bag mean that even if they lose to Croatia, they will still finish higher than at least four teams in the third-place rankings.
But the Black Stars are aiming higher. Finishing second could pit them against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, while group leadership would mean a slightly less tricky fixture.
Given all of this, what should we be looking for when the Black Stars line out at the Philadelphia Stadium?
Carlos Queiroz not overly cautious
Everything argues for starting the game with patience. While both sides will advance with a draw, Croatia probably need three points more than Ghana need one.
Dalic noted during his media availability that Ghana have played both their group games in a low block, and he is not wrong.
Queiroz knows his side can afford to sit in, frustrate Croatia's older midfield spine and look to hurt them on the counter - a clear and present threat given Ghana's pace on the break and Croatia's usually high defensive line.
Publicly, Queiroz is not selling caution. Asked about his ultra defensive setup in the buildup to the game, the Ghana coach rejected suggestions he would set his team up to defend.
"I only know how to play to win," he said.
But we will have to take that with a pinch of salt seeing as he said almost the exact same thing when asked about his conservative approach at his inaugural press conference with Ghana, only to do the exact opposite.
That mindset and tactical strategy have taken Ghana to their first knockout phase in 16 years. As long as it continues to progress Ghana forward there will be few complaints.
Ghana have no real need to be too adventurous in this game, except maybe to show off their attacking abilities and give youngsters a run out.
Their motivation to win lies mainly in setting themselves up for a good draw in the round of 32, where they could potentially face Congo DR, rather than finishing second with Portugal or Colombia lurking.
Jordan Ayew has earned hips place in starting XI
Ayew's place in the side was openly questioned after a laboured display in the opening win over Panama, when his lack of pace was exposed and some of his decision-making was criticized.
His response against England more or less settled that argument. Ayew recorded a tournament-high 204 defensive pressures across Ghana's first two matches - 83 against Panama and 121 against England - more than any other player at the World Cup.
His work off the ball helped Ghana hold their defensive shape and frustrate the Three Lions for 90 minutes.
Ayew put his full experience on display. No other player in the Black Stars squad comes close, and this is without mentioning his ability to hold up the ball and link up play.
Pace is not the captain's forte. He knows it, and so does his coach. Queiroz has built his team's identity around exactly the kind of collective sacrifice Ayew has provided.
Benjamin Asare heading into the record books
Although Asare did not start Ghana's tournament, he came on at halftime against Panama to replace the injured Lawrence Ati-Zigi who went off with a groin injury, then started against England and kept two straight clean sheets.
In doing so, the Hearts of Oak goalkeeper became the first Black Stars goalkeeper to keep back-to-back clean sheets at a World Cup - a feat Richard Kingson came closest to but never managed across the 2006 and 2010 tournaments.
He is also the first Ghana Premier League goalkeeper to start a World Cup match for the Black Stars.
A third clean sheet against Croatia would extend that record, and put him in rarefied company as only the second African goalkeeper to keep three clean sheets at a World Cup, joining Morocco's Yassine Bounou, who currently sits alone with the record after doing so at Qatar 2022.
Ati-Zigi is expected to be available again after recovering from his groin issue, but given the opportunity for a goalkeeping record, Asare should be given every opportunity to claim it.
Asare has already shown he belongs on this stage after denying a world class striker of the level of Harry Kane.
Will Antoine Semenyo finally find the net?
Semenyo arrived at the World Cup on the back of 17 Premier League goals last season split between Bournemouth and Manchester City, but with only three international goals from 34 caps before the tournament began.
Two games in, he is still waiting for his first World Cup goal, but it is not for want of trying. Against Panama he was joint-top among Ghana's players for shots and chances created, and led the team for touches in the opposition box.
None of that translated into a goal. Against England he came close on the counter but just could not convert the chance in time.
Croatia presents another opportunity for the Manchester City forward to claim his first World Cup goal, although the striker says the wait is not an issue for him, as long as his team are getting results
"I'm always on my toes and mentally ready," Semenyo said this week, adding that the team's needs come before his own scoring tally and that he expects the goals to follow.
Croatia's backline, missing the sharpness it carried in 2018 and 2022, may offer his best chance yet at this tournament.