FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts, June 24 — England failed to find a way through a resolute Ghana side and had to settle for a 0-0 draw in their second World Cup Group L match this morning, a result which left both sides well placed to move into the next phase but was a disappointment for Thomas Tuchel’s side after their opening 4-2 win over Croatia.
Ghana, who pulled off a last-gasp 1-0 victory over Panama in their opening match, made their intentions clear from the kickoff as they lined up to blunt England’s attacking style.
Under constant drizzle, the Three Lions had almost 80 per cent of possession in the first half but were limited to half-chances as Ghana players swarmed around England captain Harry Kane and anyone else whenever they moved into dangerous positions.
The opening 45 minutes were the first in any game at this World Cup in which neither side had a shot on target, and one of the biggest cheers was for the sight of former England captain David Beckham watching from the stands in a suit after he was shown on the giant screens at the home of the New England Patriots NFL team near Boston.
Tuchel had said he expected Ghana to be well drilled by Carlos Queiroz, who is at his fifth World Cup as a coach and has first-hand experience of English football from his two spells as assistant manager at Manchester United.
Deep, deep, deep
England assistant coach Anthony Barry said at half-time that Ghana were defending “deep, deep, deep, probably deeper than we expected” and that England needed to be patient.
Tuchel sought to break the deadlock by introducing Bukayo Saka and Nico O’Reilly in the 65th minute, followed by Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze less than 10 minutes later, before finally sending on Marcus Rashford.
Ghana, who scored in the dying seconds against Panama, threatened to hit England on the break through the pace of Antoine Semenyo and substitute Prince Kwabena Adu.
But it was England who spurned the best chance of the game in the 86th minute when O’Reilly headed against the bar and Kane blasted the rebound over.
“I just couldn't quite get over the ball,” Kane said. “But, yeah, I'm backing myself to score that more often than not. So, it is what it is. I've been a striker long enough to know they don't always go in, so I have to accept it.”
Ghana coach Queiroz praised his team for sticking to his strategy to frustrate England.
“I am so proud, the way our players fought during the game, how much they stand behind the game plan,” the Portuguese veteran said.
The result represented the fourth time in a row at major competitions — two European Championships and now two World Cups — that England have drawn their second group game.
Tuchel urges fans to keep belief
England coach Thomas Tuchel said his team had been frustrated by one of the most robust defensive displays he had ever seen, and urged fans to stay positive.
“I think full respect to Ghana and they defended with a lot of determination, with a lot of discipline, and with one of the most physical performances that I saw from a team defending,” the German told reporters.
“We had enough set-pieces to decide the match but we were not clinical enough,” he said, adding that he took more positives from the game than negatives.
Tuchel acknowledged that fans might be frustrated after England failed to repeat the flowing, attacking football of their 4-2 win over Croatia in the opening match of the tournament.
England’s 78.8 per cent possession against Ghana was the highest in records dating back to 1966 by any side in a World Cup match without scoring.
“If one team tries to play and run against this deep block and you don't find the spaces and it's difficult for you to create chances, it can be difficult to watch,” Tuchel said.
“We always try to entertain our fans. It was difficult today. I hope they don’t lose belief. There’s a long way to go.”
Tuchel also said Kane was unlikely to miss as good a chance in the rest of the tournament as the one he blazed over the bar in the 86th minute after substitute O’Reilly hit the crossbar with a header and the ball rebounded perfectly for the England captain.
“Ninety-nine out of 100 he will convert this chance,” Tuchel said.
England have four points from their first two games, almost certainly enough to send them into the first knockout round, and they finish their Group L campaign against Panama on Saturday.
