Foxborough, United States: Ghana boosted their hopes of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stages after holding England to a hard-fought 0-0 draw in Group L on Tuesday night.
The Black Stars frustrated Thomas Tuchel’s side throughout the contest at Gillette Stadium, producing a disciplined defensive performance to secure a valuable point and remain firmly in contention for a place in the Round of 32.
England dominated possession with 79 percent of the ball and registered 19 attempts on goal compared to Ghana’s two, but failed to find a way past stand-in goalkeeper Benjamin Asare.
The result leaves both teams on four points heading into their final group matches, with qualification appearing likely but the battle for top spot still unresolved.
Backed by a crowd of 63,983 spectators, England entered the match seeking to build on their impressive 4-2 opening victory over Croatia.
However, despite controlling large periods of the game, the Three Lions struggled to create clear-cut opportunities against a compact and organised Ghanaian defence.
England’s best opportunity of the first half came from a Declan Rice free-kick that drifted narrowly over the crossbar.
The Black Stars, now under the guidance of experienced Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, remained compact and disciplined, limiting England captain Harry Kane to few meaningful opportunities.
Kane was unable to add to his tally of 10 World Cup goals and remains level with England legend Gary Lineker as the country’s joint-leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history.
Ghana welcomed back midfielder Thomas Partey, who missed the opening victory over Panama after reportedly being denied a visa by Canadian authorities.
Benjamin Asare, who replaced the injured Lawrence Ati Zigi in Ghana’s opening match, delivered another assured performance between the posts.
It took nearly an hour for the Hearts of Oak goalkeeper to make a significant save, comfortably denying Anthony Gordon after England increased the pressure.
The Black Stars also had moments of encouragement going forward. Ghana felt goalkeeper Jordan Pickford should have been punished after colliding with Prince Adu outside the penalty area, although the referee instead awarded a free-kick to England.
Substitute Adu later threatened the English defence when he broke into the penalty area, but was unable to get a shot away.
England pushed hard for a winner in the closing stages.
Asare produced an excellent save to deny Bukayo Saka before Nico O’Reilly headed against the crossbar from close range. Moments later, Kane blazed over the bar as another opportunity slipped away.
The draw extends England’s unbeaten record against African opposition at the FIFA World Cup and moves them closer to qualification ahead of their final group fixture against Panama at MetLife Stadium.
For Ghana, the result reinforces growing optimism under Queiroz following their opening 1-0 victory over Panama. The Black Stars will now turn their attention to a decisive clash against Croatia in Philadelphia as they seek to secure progression to the knockout rounds.
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