England missed the chance to book their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 after being held to a goalless draw by Ghana at Boston Stadium.
Harry Kane arrived with 10 World Cup goals to his name, having equalled Gary Lineker’s England record in the opening win over Croatia.
Thomas Tuchel made two changes from the Croatia match, with Marc Guéhi and Djed Spence coming in for John Stones and Nico O’Reilly.
Ghana’s Carlos Queiroz has also been reshuffled, with Thomas Partey returning to the side and goalkeeper Benjamin Asare starting in place of the injured Lawrence Ati Zigi.
Ghana sit deep as England dominate
The Three Lions dominated possession from the outset — early statistics showed Ghana had barely touched the ball in the opening minutes. Declan Rice was England’s most prominent figure, driving forward and testing the Ghanaian block, and notably sending a rasping drive over from a free-kick.
After a hydration break, England resumed their pressure but continued to find Ghana’s massed defence difficult to penetrate. Rice headed over from a Noni Madueke cross in the 37th minute as the hald ended goalless.
Ghana threaten on the counter
The second half began in the same vein, with England dominating but Ghana looking dangerous on the break. In the 50th minute, Marvin Senaya got in behind the England defence after a long diagonal ball, but Djed Spence intervened at the last moment to prevent a clear shot on goal.
England responded with a flurry of chances around the hour mark: Madueke’s shot was blocked, and Anthony Gordon’s follow-up effort was saved by Benjamin Asare.
Crossbar and over — England’s agony
As the match entered its final stages, England pushed relentlessly for a winner. Substitute Bukayo Saka’s curling effort from outside the box was superbly saved by Asare, before Nico O’Reilly’s header crashed off the crossbar. The rebound fell directly to Kane, six yards out, but the Bayern Munich striker blazed his left-footed effort over the bar. The England captain then had a header blocked on the line, with a Guéhi header from a corner also cleared off the line.
England face Panama in their final group match on 27 June, while Ghana take on Croatia. Both sides can still advance from Group L.
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