- Safiu Kehinde
The Black Stars of Ghana have held England to a frustrating goalless draw, increasing their chances of advancing to the next round of the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Ghanaians took on the Three Lions in Boston, United States, for their second group stage match on Tuesday.
With both teams having recorded victory at their opening matches of the tournament, they sought to advance to the next round.
England who appeared to be favourite to win the match however met a defiant and organised Ghanaian side.
The Thomas Tuchel-led team were kept at bay by Ghana’s watertight defence in the first half.
Ghana fully made their intention known at the start of second half as they maintained their defensive preset while hoping to catch a much offensive England on the counter.
The Black Stars came close to causing an upset with a counter-attack in the 79th minute when Prince Adu stole a loose ball from England’s offensive play and charged toward’s the Three Lions goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford.
He was however denied the goalscoring chance by England’s defender, Eric Konsa, who blocked his attempted shot.
A rebound by Adu would be blocked by his teammate Antonio Semenyo who was ruled offside.
Tactical changes by Tuchel further intensified England’s attack.
The changes saw the likes of Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Nathan O’Reily, Morgan Rodgers, and Marcus Rashford all brought in to break Ghana’s watertight defence.
While this indeed kept the Ghanaians on their feet, impressive saves by goalkeeper Asare however denied England any late drama.
The Ghanaian goalkeeper saved a sublime shot by Saka while also denying Kane twice to keep the game at 0-0 till the blow of the final whistle.
The draw saw both England and Ghana sitting 1st and 2nd spots on the Group L table with 4 points each.
England who lead the table on one goal difference is billed to take on Panama in the last of the group stage while Ghana will face Croatia.