Football
Ghana Frustrate England in Stalemate as World Cup Group Remains Open
England were left disappointed after being held to a 0-0 draw by Ghana in their second World Cup Group L match on Tuesday night.
Despite dominating large spells of the contest, Thomas Tuchel’s men failed to break down a determined Ghana side, leaving qualification and final group standings still undecided ahead of the last round of fixtures.
Nico O’Reilly nearly rescued victory for England late on, but his header crashed against the bar in front of 63,983 fans at the Gillette Stadium near Boston.
England controlled possession and registered 19 attempts on goal, while Ghana managed only two efforts throughout the match.
However, England rarely looked convincing in attack, with Harry Kane kept unusually quiet and the wide players unable to create the breakthrough.
The result follows England’s opening 4-2 triumph against Croatia, but this latest performance sparked concerns over whether Tuchel’s side can truly compete for the World Cup title.
Nevertheless, England remain unbeaten and are close to reaching the knockout stage. A positive result against Panama on Saturday should be enough to secure progression to the last 32.
Ghana once again impressed under new coach Carlos Queiroz, building on their opening 1-0 win against Panama with another disciplined display.
Thomas Partey returned to the Black Stars team after missing the Panama fixture because he was reportedly refused a visa by Canadian authorities. The ex-Arsenal midfielder is currently awaiting trial in the UK over rape charges, which he denies.
Goalkeeper Benjamin Asare, who replaced the injured Lawrence Ati Zigi in the previous match, produced a composed performance and dealt comfortably with most of England’s efforts.
Jude Bellingham earned his 50th England cap, while Marc Guehi and Djed Spence came into the defence in place of John Stones and Nico O’Reilly.
England’s best opportunities came late in the game, with Bukayo Saka denied by Asare before O’Reilly rattled the crossbar and Kane blazed over from a promising position.
Ghana also threatened on occasion, particularly when substitute Prince Adu burst into the penalty area, causing panic in England’s defence, although Jordan Pickford escaped punishment after colliding with the forward outside the box.
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