Key Points
- England and Ghana drew 0-0 in Group L at Boston Stadium on June 23.
- Ghana defended deep and held firm, surviving 19 England shots to its two.
- Harry Kane skied a close-range volley late with the goal gaping.
- England stay top of Group L, level on points with Ghana.
England stayed unbeaten at the World Cup and learned nothing new about themselves. Thomas Tuchel's side was held to a 0-0 draw by a dogged Ghana at Boston Stadium on June 23, a forgettable Group L afternoon that edged the Three Lions closer to the round of 32 without offering much reason for confidence.
The game
England controlled long stretches and still could not score. The clearest chance fell to Harry Kane, who skied a close-range volley late with the goal gaping; Nico O'Reilly also spurned an opening in the closing stages. For England it was a 13th goalless draw in World Cup history — the kind of stat that attaches itself to teams that dominate possession and forget the last pass.
Ghana's defensive plan
The draw was built on a plan, not luck. Ranked 73rd in the world — 69 places below England — Ghana sat deep, defended in numbers, and dared the Three Lions to pick the lock on a packed penalty area. It worked: England piled up 19 shots to Ghana's two but rarely forced a real save from stand-in goalkeeper Benjamin Asare, the Hearts of Oak keeper starting after Lawrence Ati-Zigi was hurt against Panama. The Black Stars even carried the game's best chance, when Prince Adu broke clear in the 79th minute only to be denied by Jordan Pickford and a last-ditch Ezri Konsa recovery. Ghana came for a point and defended like a team that knew exactly how it wanted to get one.
What it means
Under Tuchel, England keep collecting points without convincing anyone, and a misfiring Kane is the clearest symptom of an attack that looks organized everywhere except the six-yard box. The draw leaves England top of Group L but level on points with Ghana, who arrived in form after beating Panama 1-0 on a late Caleb Yirenkyi goal in their opener — and Panama is the team England close the group against. Kane, named captain of Tuchel's 26-man squad, will want the chance back before the knockout rounds begin.
Ghana's tournament ran on into the Round of 32, where Jhon Arias's goal sent Colombia past the Black Stars.
Sources: ESPN, CBS Sports, Al Jazeera
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