Ghana and England played out a tense 0-0 draw at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, leaving World Cup Group L finely balanced as both sides moved to four points from two games.
Carlos Queiroz made four changes from the 1-0 win over Panama, handing starts to Thomas Partey, Inaki Williams, Benjamin Asare and Kwasi Sibo in a 4-3-3. Benjamin Asare replaced Lawrence Ati-Zigi in goal, with the back four of Marvin Senaya, Jonas Adjetey, Jerome Opoku, and Gideon Mensah unchanged.
England dominated possession early through Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, but Ghana’s midfield trio of Partey, Sibo, and Caleb Yirenkyi kept the Three Lions at bay. The best chance of the first half fell to Harry Kane in the 34th minute, but Asare stood tall to deny the England captain from close range.
Ghana’s biggest opening came just after the hour. Inaki Williams broke behind John Stones and forced a sharp save from Jordan Pickford, with Antoine Semenyo firing the rebound over.
Both coaches turned to their benches late on. Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford tested Asare from distance, while Jordan Ayew and Semenyo looked to hit England on the break. Neither side could find a breakthrough in front of 65,878 at Gillette Stadium.
Even though England applied pressure in the closing stages, they appeared very fortunate not to concede a penalty late on when Ezri Konsa challenged Prince Kwabena Adu in the area, bringing him down without making any contact with the ball.
The result means England and Ghana each sit on four points in Group L. Ghana face Croatia in their final group game on June 28.
GFA COMMUNICATIONS