FOXBOROUGH — England brought its supporters, its celebrities, and its weather to Foxborough. Ghana brought its defense.
England dominated the seating bowl on a cool, rainy day, with the stands bathed in England white and British celebs such as David Beckham and the band Mumford & Sons looking on.
And a superior England squad, No. 4 in the FIFA world rankings, dominated the match, holding the ball for 79 percent of the time and out-shooting No. 73 Ghana, 18-2.
But it was the Ghanaian fans dancing and celebrating at the final whistle. Ghana packed in its defense, swarmed English star striker Harry Kane, withstood a furious England push in extra time, and secured its second straight shutout in this tournament with a scoreless draw in Group L play in front of 63,983 fans. Ghana also held Panama scoreless in a 1-0 victory last week.
England and Ghana each sit with four points atop Group L, with England holding a plus-one advantage in goal differential with one match remaining. But Tuesday’s draw felt like a win for Ghana, looking to advance past the group stage for the first time since 2010.
Though Tuesday’s draw was nowhere near the level of upset as Cape Verde tying Spain last week, it was a validating result for Ghana. Only a handful of Ghanaians play in England and the European leagues, yet Ghana hung tough with a top-five nation filled with superstar players.
Though this was the first of four World Cup matches in Foxborough to not feature any scoring, the closing minutes were packed with action. England’s Nico O’Reilly hit a crossbar in the 86th minute, and England had four corner kicks in the 7 minutes of added time but couldn’t convert any of them. Ghana’s Prince Adu had a breakaway in the 79th minute stymied on a questionable non-call, and Antoine Semenyo got a look in the 90th minute but fired wide.
Kane, England’s all-time top international goal scorer (81) who notched two in the Three Lions’ opening-match victory over Croatia, could barely find breathing room. He was held to just 19 touches and three shots as Ghana suffocated the English attack. Against Croatia, Kane had 35 touches and seven shots.
Kane didn’t find an opportunity Tuesday until extra time in the first half, but was immediately swarmed by two defenders. His first clean shot came in the 69th minute, and was easily fielded by Ghana keeper Benjamin Asare. Kane had another chance in extra time but fired a rebound high over the net.
Asare stopped all three shots England put on target, including a diving save in the 86th minute to preserve the tie.
Though England had a significant advantage in supporters, the Ghanaians were the more festive bunch, dancing and chanting throughout the match and playing drums and trumpets. The Ghanaian players were similarly cheerful, dancing and playing drums as they got off the bus in Foxborough.
The Brits were far more business-like, reflecting the seriousness of their World Cup journey. England has only one title in its history (1966), and the Three Lions are out to avenge its loss to France in the 2022 quarterfinals.
“You can, at times, feel the tension and feel the pressure,” England manager Thomas Tuchel said before the match. “I hope we can cope with it and accept it and turn it around.”
England’s opening match was an inspiring result — a 4-2 victory over Croatia, which defeated England in the 2018 semifinals. Tuesday’s match against a physical Ghana squad was more sobering. Despite dominating the match statistics, England couldn’t force many quality chances.
Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].
