Ghana earn England stalemate

An inspired defensive display ensured Ghana earned a goalless draw with England at the FIFA World Cup 2026.

It was a first half punctuated by perspiration rather than inspiration. Ghana stood tall against wave after wave of England pressure, with the Three Lions' only half-chance coming through a looping Declan Rice header which cleared the crossbar.

After the break, Elliot Anderson saw a close-range header blocked shortly before Anthony Gordon fired an effort into the midriff of goalkeeper Benjamin Asare. Harry Kane was next to try his luck with a low drive but Asare was again equal to it.

Ghana, meanwhile, looked threatening in their forays forward and sliced England open with just shy of ten minutes to go. Abdul Fatawu was sent through on Jordan Pickford, and while Ezri Konsa got back to foil his initial attempt, the winger's second effort was blocked just in front of the goalline by teammate Antoine Semenyo.

England saved their best chances for the 87th minute. A flowing move ended with Reece James crossing for Nico O'Reilly, whose back-post header came back off the crossbar. The loose ball fell to Kane, but he blazed his effort high into the Boston sky.

The result ensures England and Ghana will enter the final matchday of Group L in the top two. A point from their final matches against Panama and Croatia respectively will secure both of a spot in the Round of 32.

Player of the Match Jude Bellingham’s message following England’s goalless draw with Ghana was clear, succinct and delivered with a calm authority.

The midfielder admitted having a degree of frustration that England could not take maximum points despite dominating the ball and firing in 19 shots to their opponents’ two.

Bellingham stressed this was no time for panic, though, with England still top of Group L and well-placed to reach the FIFA World Cup knockout stage.

“It’s one of those things that can happen,” said the 22-year-old. “Credit to Ghana. They got out of the game what they played for. We couldn't quite break them down, even with all the corners, all the possession, all the shots on goal.

“I'm young but I’m still one of the experienced players (in the dressing room). There’s no worries, no stress, no drama at all in there. My message has just been to make sure we stay positive and keep the good atmosphere we've got going. We’ve got four points, it puts us in a good position. It's not the end of the world.”

Carlos Queiroz’s Ghana, however, proved extremely stubborn opposition. They were well-drilled, determined and dogged and England struggled to regularly carve out clear opportunities.

Chances came as the game became more stretched in the final stages, with O’Reilly striking the crossbar and Kane shooting over when the entirety of Boston Stadium was waiting for the net to bulge. It was not to be for England but Bellingham explained how the experience of competing against such obdurate opposition could prove beneficial as the tournament progressed.

“We're not only going to play teams from Europe or what we're used to,” he told FIFA. “It's amazing to be able to play so early against a strong opponent from Africa who pose completely different threats.

“You saw that today. It was tough to break them down. They were exceptional on the counter-attack. They always kept that little bit of fear in us when we were going forward. Part of the beautiful thing of the World Cup is that you get to play against teams, players, styles of play that you don't normally get to play against. It will stand us in good stead going into the rest of the tournament, for sure.”

England coach Thomas Tuchel, too, was also quick to pay tribute to Ghana and dismissed any notion that the result was a 'wake-up call' for England.

Tuchel’s side will conclude their group-stage campaign against Panama at New York New Jersey Stadium on Saturday. A draw will be enough to guarantee a place in the Round of 32.

“Everyone is alert and everyone is fully committed,” said the German coach. “There can be no doubt, I can assure that to everyone.

“We don't need a wake-up call. There was no over-confidence in our game, not at all. If anything, maybe in some moments were a bit over-cautious.

“Ghana are a difficult team to play against with a lot of quality and very physical, fast players in every position. They are ready to put bodies in, ready to defend one against one. It's super difficult to break them down.

“It is what it is but we have four points out of two matches and still a match to play. It's very important that the highs don't get too high and the lows don't get too low. Today is not a low, it's just a difficult match of football, which can happen at any time.”