England were forced to settle for a share of the points at the top of Group L as an exceptional defensive display from Ghana earned themselves an impressive 0-0 draw in Foxborough, Mass.
This was certainly not the free-flowing England that had dominated Croatia in the opener but such a performance was always going to be a great deal tougher against a Ghana side who dared them to break down a low block without leaving the back door open for the sort of dangerous counters that came at the death. Theirs was a quite exceptional rearguard, one that will almost certainly guarantee them a berth in the knockout stages.
If the first game had been Tuchel adapting his methods to the needs of a Premier League squad, this was England playing their manager's way. Perhaps they even leaned too far towards the steady control of their manager's best teams and even the German was urging his players to push the ball up the field with a little bit more verve and speed.
That is easier said than done against the defensive structure of a Carlos Queiroz team. He might have only had three games in charge of Ghana but the former Manchester United assistant is a master at ensuring his side get the basics right. Ten outfield players behind the ball, doubling up on the wingers and collapsing on any ball carrier that broke into the box. Four yellow shirts surrounding Noni Madueke as he darted forward told the story of the first half. As much as England could and should have moved the ball quicker, they were trying to break apart an excellently organised low block.
This England XI did not quite have the pieces to break that block open. Anthony Gordon and in particular Madueke had excelled in a more up-down contest against Croatia, this time both struggled with their final ball. Jude Bellingham is a box-to-box midfielder so dangerous in the final third that it makes sense to play him higher up the field. On a day like Tuesday, that position might have been better suited to a lock picker.
Though England had three-quarters of possession, they struggled to turn pressure and territory into good shots. It was not until the 57th minute that they registered their first shot on target, their first 14 efforts worth a combined 0.66 expected goals. The quality looks just weren't coming.
Indeed, England were fortunate that with 11 minutes to go Prince Kwabena Adu took a heavy touch after Eberechi Eze had dawdled and given Ghana a chance to counter. Only a heavy touch by the Viktoria Plzen forward and a fine tackle by Ezri Konsa denied what might have been a shock defeat. Jordan Pickford too was lucky that referee Said Martinez saw a foul when he clashed with an onrushing Abdul Fatawu.
Those nervy moments woke England up and a flurry of late chances came their way. Bukayo Saka was the first to put Ghana goalkeeper Benjamin Asare under real pressure with an effort curled towards the far post before Nico O'Reilly headed a Reece James cross against the bar. It seemed Kane had judged the chance perfectly to convert the rebound but somehow from eight yards out he volleyed over.
England's game in microcosm, that. It need not be a crisis for Tuchel. So long as his side beat Panama by a margin equal to or better than any Ghana win against Croatia, they will have top spot in the group. From there on out, they may not meet many teams as intent on and capable of executing a low block as this one.
That is probably qualification for both teams but that is of course a matter for much more celebration for the excellent Ghanaians than it is England, who will feel they left it a little too late to really push on.
Guehi nearly guides on in as Rice delivers teasing corner after teasing corner. It says everything about the threat England know they pose that the ball comes to Saka in the box and he lets it run so that his team mate can put one in. Ultimately England concede a free kick.
This game has finally opened up. It starts with Saka, who moves inside and bends a wonderful shot at the far post, well saved by Asare. England keep the pressure up, James overlapping down the right and hanging on to the back post. O'Reilly meets it and heads against the bar, the rebound falling to Kane. Surely he'll score. Somehow from eight yards out he volleys over!
Eze loses the ball going back towards his own goal and Ghana are away. A slipped ball in behind to the chasing Prince Kwabena Adu finds him in space and he will get to it before Pickford. Unfortunately for he and his team mates, the first touch is a heavy one and that gives Konsa an invitation to slide in, poking the ball away from his forward but also Pickford. There's a bit of chaos involving Semenyo, a goal only defended by an outfield player and the byline but a flag goes up to save England's bacon.
Perhaps these are the sort to charm open Ghana's very organised low block. Anderson and Bellingham come off and on come Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers, two proper attacking midfielders who are not at all afraid to hit and hope.
Having spent much of the second half raging at the players down the left flank, it's no surprise that they come off. Spence making way for O'Reilly is like for like stuff while Saka, most at home on the right, replaces Gordon. Madueke moves across to the left.
A better move by England and the Three Lions, who get three bodies down the left and manage to manoeuvre possession. For the first time in this game Spence and Gordon click and get the ball moving quickly. It results in England working the ball from left to right, where Madueke's shot is blocked. They keep coming and Gordon pulls the trigger... straight at Asate. Still it is a shot on target. It only took 57 minutes.
The man on the left wing, a recent arrival at Barcelona, has struggled to get any joy against Senaya as England have been on the attack so far. It gets worse for Gordon now that we're into the second half as he loses the run of his full back on a rare dart forward by Ghana. Ultimately he is lucky that Senaya shanks what might have been a cross or a shot but ends up being neither. It is hard to believe that Gordon can stay on much longer given the options England have on the bench in his position. Could we see Rashord or Eze before too long?
The second half is up and running. We can but hope for something a little more exciting and upbeat than the 45 minutes that preceded this. No changes from either side.
Barring that brief flurry around the 40th minute, this really has been all England in terms of territory and threat. The worry for Tuchel is that his side's 78% possession has resulted in six shots worth 0.27 xG. Now of course they've given up no shots at all at the other end. Another 45 minutes of this pressure and you would expect a fair few more shots and a decent upswing in xG. Still, this could have been better.
England end the half with a flurry of pressure, Guehi driving a nice ball between the lines to pick out an onrushing Rice. He gives it to Kane, who just cannot quite find space to get a really good shot away. He settles for a lesser one that is blocked. Then England come again, Madueke driving into the box only to run into four yellow shirts. What's a guy to do but lose possession?
And that is the half, one that has been less about what England have done wrong than what Ghana have done very, very well. This has been an excellent defensive performance from Queiroz's side, one that has driven Bellingham to frustration typified with a clumsy late tackle. Work to do for England but it's worth bearing in mind that it is very, very hard to be this good without the ball for 90 minutes.
What is basically the first attack from Ghana actually poses a threat for England. No wonder that Manchester City winger Semenyo is at the heart of it, dancing into the box and drawing a smart tackle by Konsa. Ghana come again and Semenyo forces a corner, one that Konsa rises well to deal with. The Aston Villa center back may not be the biggest name in this England team but he is such a solid operator, the sort who gives nothing clumsy away.
England have had more attacking third touches (94) than Ghana have had touches (72). Konsa (47), Guehi (43) and Anderson (30) have completed more passes than Ghana (27). This really is a game where you need either more penalty box presence or the sort of Cole Palmer-style lock-picker that Tuchel opted to do without in the squad. Without him they're trying the latter, Bellingham getting up into the box and drawing a shot that gets blocked. England have tried to up the pace but Senaya at right back is doing a fine job of shutting down Gordon.
A long delay as Jordan Ayew and Reece James require medical treatment following a collision. It's the 21st minute and the players are naturally gravitating over to the technical areas to talk to their coaches. Thomas Tuchel is gesticulating towards Jude Bellingham. This feels very much like a hydration break. Said Martinez has other ideas, telling the players to return to the pitch. It's the 23rd minute as play resumes. How long do you reckon until we pause for drinks again?
Edit: it was two minutes. A chorus of boos greets the drinks.
A powerful drive down the left by Rice, who comes through a 50:50 to power towards the byline and cut back. Gordon elegantly lets it run and his former team mate Anderson takes a swing, blocked with the rebound not quite landing to Madueke. England come again, this time Rice on the receiving end of a cutback from that left hand side. England have moved through the gears here. They are looking very good.
You can really tell Ghana are coached by Carlos Queiroz, a man who convinced Sir Alex Ferguson of the value of keeping it tight at the back as an assistant at Manchester United. The underdogs are lining up in a bank of five and a bank of five, doubling up on their wingers and challenging England to break them down without overcommitting numbers and leaving themselves vulnerable to the counter. When Inaki Williams and Antoine Semenyo are on those, you're going to need to be careful.
As the strains of David Guetta's Titanium fade, Declan Rice readies himself for the kick off. England load up the right hand side with Bellingham and Kane joining Madueke on that flank. Pickford hoofs it long towards the Ghana area but the Black Stars do well to repel the first ball and win the second. It comes back to England but with no great danger to it.
Out come the players in proper English temperatures of 70 degrees fahrenheit, or, as we correctly call it, 21 celsius. Would that it were so cool in London. It has just started to drop from a high of 95 degrees. We're cooking here.
These two teams come into round two of the group stage on three points but and that is not to be sniffed at. Still Ghana might have felt they underwhelmed somewhat in their 1-0 win over Panama, one secured at the death by a last gasp goal from Caleb Yirenkyi. The result is what matters and a point from their remaining two games would almost certainly be enough for the Black Stars to reach their first knockout round since their debut two decades ago.
England, meanwhile, can feel they have made their mark in their opener. Though there were certainly wobbles in their 4-2 win over Croatia, those moments were pretty harshly punished in the first half. In the second Thomas Tuchel's side were rampant, Jude Bellingham particularly impressive in a win that was all the more impressive given that this was an opponent that England have a lot of history with. A repeat performance in Foxborough tonight and the Three Lions can be very confident of their chances of winning.
There are four changes in the Ghana side from the team that beat Panama 1-0 and there is sure to be attention on one of those players, former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, who did not travel to Toronto for the team's opener. The Canadian government blocked Partey's visa application after he incorrectly filled in his visa application, stating that he is facing no outstanding criminal charges.
Partey has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of rape and one of sexual assault and is due to stand trial in London next year over the allegations, which relate to allegations by four separate women. The 31 year old was first arrested in 2022 and continued to play for Arsenal until the expiration of his contract at the end of June 2025. Partey currently plays for Villarreal, where his contract expires at the end of the month. The Spanish club have an option to extend that deal for the upcoming season.
Partey was granted a visa in the US that enables him to play in both this game and the final group stage match against Croatia in Philadelphia. It remains to be seen whether a new application to play in Canada would be required -- the runner up in Group L is scheduled to play their round of 32 match in Toronto -- and accepted.
There has been widespread speculation in the English press as to whether or not England players will shake Partey's hand.
England: Jordan Pickford; Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Djed Spence; Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice; Noni Madueke, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane
Ghana: Benjamin Asare; Marvin Senaya, Jonas Adjetey, Jerome Opoku, Gideon Mensah; Caleb Yirenkyi, Thomas Partey, Kwasi Sibo; Inaki Williams, Jordan Ayew, Antoine Semenyo
A big game ahead of us as we approach the end of the second round of the group phase. England began this competition in swaggering fashion as Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford netted in a 4-2 win over Croatia that was even more impressive than the scoreline suggests. They ought to fancy themselves against Ghana but the prospect of a first knockout game since they made their tournament debut in 2006 is sure to spur this team on. This could be a very intriguing game.
