England in a Goalless Draw

World Cup: England vs. Ghana LIVE starting at 10 p.m.

The England stars led by Harry Kane (No. 9) had a disappointing night of soccer.(Bild: AP/Martin Meissner)

After an exhilarating 4-2 victory over Croatia in their World Cup opener, co-favorite England put in a disappointing performance in their second Group L match. Against the “Black Stars” of Ghana, Thomas Tuchel’s “Three Lions” could only manage a scoreless draw. Star striker Harry Kane missed a golden opportunity in the closing minutes.

The significance of the result for both teams was evident immediately after the final whistle: On the English side, frustration reigned supreme, while the “Black Stars” celebrated the point. Incidentally, Thomas Partey was also in the lineup for Ghana, after the midfielder—who is facing allegations of abuse—was not allowed to enter Canada for the first match, a 1-0 win over Panama.

Ghana Keeps Slim Hope of Winning the Group
Although England successfully defended its top spot in the standings with the 0-0 draw in front of 63,983 spectators in Boston, it did so only because of a better goal difference over the second-place Africans, who played to a 0-0 draw at the World Cup level for the first time. The English also remained unbeaten in their ninth World Cup match against an African team. With four points, Ghana is all but certain to advance to the knockout stage. They also keep alive a slim chance of winning the group. 

England Dominated Possession in Steady Rain, but Lacked Creativity
In a grueling match played in steady rain, the “Three Lions” enjoyed as much as 70 percent possession at times and, at certain points, completed more than four times as many passes as the African team—yet for long stretches, the favorites failed to create any significant scoring chances. A free kick by Declan Rice (14th minute) sailed over the bar, as did a header by him (37th minute). Shortly before the halftime whistle, a shot by star striker Harry Kane inside the penalty area was deflected into a corner at the last moment.

England struggled repeatedly against Ghana’s defense.(Bild: AFP/MATTIA OZBOT)

Ghana defended passionately
Too often, England tried to force their way through the center, and Kane was left hanging in the air most of the time. On the wings, Ghana consistently doubled up on him and were also able to keep up with the pace of the game, so that the English offense rarely broke through. 

Even after the break, the English struggled significantly more in attack than they had in their 4-2 win over Croatia. Noni Madueke shot wide (64'), and Kane (69') and Bukayo Saka (86') were both denied by Ghana goalkeeper Benjamin Asare, who was filling in for the injured Lawrence Ati-Zigi.

Harry Kane squandered a huge chance in the closing minutes.(Bild: AFP/FRANCK FIFE)

O’Reilly hit the crossbar
Shortly afterward, they squandered a double chance to seal the win. First, Nico O’Reilly headed the ball off the crossbar, then Kane—in a move completely out of character for him—sent the follow-up shot well over the goal (both in the 86th minute). After that, a header by Marc Guehi also failed to find the net (93rd minute). Ghana had previously posed a real threat only once, through Prince Adu (79th minute).

Thus, the second head-to-head match between the two teams also ended in a draw. In March 2011, a friendly at London’s Wembley Stadium had ended in a 1–1 tie.

Match details: 
England – Ghana 0–0
Boston, 63,983 spectators, Referee Martinez (HON).
England: Pickford – James, Konsa, Guehi, Spence (65’ O’Reilly) – Anderson (74’ Eze), Rice – Madueke (83’ Rashford), Bellingham (74’ Rogers), Gordon (65’ Saka) – Kane
Ghana: Asare – Senaya (87. Oppong), Adjetey, Opoku, Mensah – Partey – Williams (66. Fatawu), Yirenkyi, Sibo, Semenyo – Ayew (66. Adu/95. Rahman)
Yellow cards: Rice and Williams