England laboured in a dismal first half against Ghana in their second Group L game at the World Cup tonight.
There was no repeat of the offensive onslaught that saw the Three Lions overwhelm Croatia last week with England subdued and lacking inspiration in Boston.
Thomas Tuchel’s side dominated the ball, having 78.4% possession but Ghana’s rigid 4-5-1 formation meant there was no space in the midfield for the likes of Jude Bellingham to create anything meaningful.
The vastly experienced Carlos Queiroz’s tactics for Ghana to stifle were working perfectly with England becoming more frustrated as the game went on.
And with Ghana offering nothing in attack, despite the best efforts of Jordan Ayew, the game descended into a dour stalemate.
England’s irritation was demonstrated five minutes before the break when Declan Rice was booked for standing on the foot of Jerome Opoku.
Rice trying to make things happen for England
Arsenal midfielder Rice had earlier provided two moments of promise for England.
He lashed a 13th-minute free-kick over the bar before, after 37 minutes, latching on to a right-wing cross from Noni Madueke but heading off target.
Madueke was a bright spark down the England right, particularly compared to Anthony Gordon on the other flank with the new Barcelona man offering nothing at all.
Captain Harry Kane was also quiet, bar one effort in first-half injury time when he found a yard of space in the area but his shot was bundled behind for a corner.
ENGLAND TEAM NEWS
Tuchel made two changes, both in defence, with Marc Guehi and Djed Spence coming in for John Stones and Nico O’Reilly
England: Pickford; James, Konsa, Guehi, Spence; Rice, Anderson, Bellingham; Madueke, Gordon, Kane
England substitutes: D Henderson, Trafford, O’Reilly, Stones, Saka, Rashford, Chalobah, J Henderson, Burn, Mainoo, Rogers, Watkins, Eze, Toney, Quansah
GHANA TEAM NEWS
Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey started for Ghana. He missed the first game after being denied entry to Canada.
Ghana: Asare; Adjetey, Mensah, Opoku, Senaya; Yirenkyi, Partey, Sibo, Semenyo; Ayew, Williams
Ghana substitutes: Ati Zigi, Anang, Seidu, Mumin, Rahman, Oppong, Luckassen, Owusu, Boakye, Fatawu, Thomas-Asante, Baah, Sulemana, Nuamah, Adu
Where to watch England v Ghana: TV and online streams
England versus Ghana kicked off on Tuesday night at 9pm UK time. You can watch it on BBC 1 and stream via the iPlayer.
Click HERE for a full World Cup TV guide
Stats for England v Ghana
- The teams have met just once before, playing out a 1-1 friendly draw at Wembley in 2011
- Ghana’s win over Panama was their first victory in seven games
- England have won nine of their last 11 games
- England lost their last game against African opposition, going down 3-1 to Senegal in June 2025
