England 0-0 Ghana: World Cup 2026 – live

That’s all for tonight. I’ll leave you with Dave Hytner’s report from Boston – bye.

Ed Aarons’ player ratings are here

double quotation mark Elliot Anderson Far too slow in possession. Has to be much more proactive with his forward passing. 5

Noni Madueke Caused Ghana problems with his directness but lacks quality with the final pass. 6

England had 78.8% possession, a new record for a team that failed to score in a World Cup game. Turkey held the record for a week and a half after having 78.5% in their 2-0 defeat to Australia.

double quotation mark One of those games. Difficult team to break down. We were probably at our best in the last 15 minutes of each half. I had a big chance at the end – I’m backing myself to score that more often than not –. Nico hit the bar. Look, we wanted to win but we take the point and we’re still in a great position in the group.

I was man-marked by Partey for a lot of the game so I didn’t have the space to drop deep. then get in the box. They also defended the box well, and balls through the middle were tough to play because they were so compact. You go through games like that.

I spoke before about chunking it up into two separate tournaments – the group stage and then the knockouts. Hopefully we can win the group and then comes the second tournament.

It was a talking point beforehand in the England dressing room. Harry Kane bringing it up; a message with it, too. At each of the previous three tournaments, the team had spluttered in game two. The roll call of irritation took in the draws against Scotland. Denmark at the European Championship – either side of the draw against the United States at the last World Cup. Must do better this time, was the gist of what Kane said.

England did not do better. The idea was to maintain the momentum they had generated in the 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening Group L tie. there was no surge here. Only stodge. England laboured to create against an ultra-defensive Ghana team, their only pulse-quickening moments coming towards the very end.

Thomas Tuchel has made great play of his finishers. two of those he introduced from the bench almost made it happen. Bukayo Saka extended the Ghana goalkeeper Benjamin Asare with a low shot while Nico O’Reilly hit the top of the post with a header. From the rebound, Kane lashed high; a gilt-edged miss. In stoppage-time, Marc Guéhi saw a header cleared away from in front of the line.

We’ve seen replays of those two incidents involving the substitute Prince Kwabena Adu. The first one looks okay but the second, when Konsa challenged Adu, looks like a foul to me. Had it been given on the field, it wouldn’t have been overturned.

It may seem distinctly Scottish that the creation of football history could come with grumbling over the manner in. that was achieved. On Tuesday afternoon, the movable feast that is the best-third-place table at this World Cup had Scotland second. in a strong position to advance to the knockout phase for the first time. Heavy defeat against Brazil on Wednesday in Miami could damage that position but it remains perfectly feasible that the 1-0 win over Haiti. three points will take Scotland into uncharted territory. Denis Law did not emerge from a tournament group with Scotland. Neither did Kenny Dalglish. The 1974 World Cup team were unbeaten yet still on an early flight home. This has been a weight on the shoulders of Scotland teams for decades.

In a rare departure from sharp analysis. Rory McIlroy stated last week that Scotland had benefited from the expansion of the World Cup by means of qualification. In fact, they topped their section so would have participated regardless of size. What is undeniable, however, is that the path towards the last 32 can be almost laughably simple for some. Victory over Haiti was rightly expected, as was defeat by Morocco. – while not a certainty – so would be another loss to Brazil.

If Scotland stumble through, there will be whooping and cheering regardless of context that it feels sensible to apply. In defence of Steve Clarke and Scotland, they do not make the tournament rules. A group that includes two nations who stand in the world’s top six also constitutes a tough draw. Facing a hugely backed Brazil in the suffocating heat here will be among Clarke’s sternest challenges in management.

“Now that was an England World Cup group game,” writes Eddy Nason. “The last one with the xG and the goals felt so wrong.”

double quotation mark It’s always difficult when you play against 11 behind the ball. You’ve gotta find solutions. In the last 10 minutes we probably found more than we had all game. we were unlucky not to score.

Look, we stay positive – we keep going,. we still have a great chance to top the group against Panama. [If they win the group they will avoid Cristiano’s Revenge a potential last 32 tie against Portugal.]

You have to give credit to Ghana: 5-4-1 without the ball, very compact, tight spaces to play through. On the other hand, maybe we could do more with the ball. But it’s tough, they’re good players and it was never gonna be an easy game.

Loads of top nations drew their first game. There’s no need to be negative or downbeat. We need to stay positive and that’s what we’ll do.

Next up: Panama v Croatia

“By the standards of a Carlos Queiroz team, the Black Stars are an interesting watch,” faintpraises Kári Tulinius. “The defensive block isn’t static, the Ghanaians moving around. altering their shape in anticipation of what England might do, their shifting patterns making sense once the English players commit to what they’ve threatened to do. It’s not fun, but it’s interesting. Not as interesting as a goal, but a starving man doesn’t complain about the consistency of his porridge.”

That difficult second group game, eh. For the fourth major tournament in a row. England have followed victory in their first game with an underwhelming draw in the second. Send. Them. Home.

There’s no need to get carried away. England often struggle against a low block, and this game will bear little resemblance to the knockout matches England play. Besides. only the most tedious, irredeemably one-eyed Englishman would forget to give Ghana credit for a superb, strikingly callm defensive performance. They had all the earmarks of a Carlos Queiroz side,. might have nicked it in the second half when the substitute Prince Kwabena Adu started running in behind.

90+5 min: Ghana substitution Baba Rahman replaces the earlier substitute Prince Kwabena Adu. No shade on his excellent performance; Ghana just want another defensive resource.

A Rice corner is hooked back across by Eze (I think) towards Guehi. whose clever looping header is headed off the line. Not sure who the defender was, possibly Opoku, but he did his job perfectly.

90 min Six minutes of added time. The game feels more open than at any stage tonight.

89 min O’Reilly was really angry with himself for missing that chance. So many of his goals are the kind you expect from a No9, and that would have been another.

87 min: Ghana substitution Kojo Peprah Oppong replaces the excellent (and presumably shattered) Marvin Senaya.

Ghana can’t out following that Saka shot. James flips an insouciant cross towards O’Reilly, who heads the ball off his shoulder and then onto the crossbar. It rebounds to Kane, who launches it into orbit from seven yards with his left foot.

You’d expect Kane to score but the bounce made it a deceptively awkward chance. The ball was not a James fan.

86 min Saka wriggles infield from the right and whips a tradedmark curler from 20 yards. Asare gets down smartly to his right to beat it away.

83 min: England substitution Marcus Rashford for Noni Madueke.

82 min Owen Linderholm writes in to say the Univision commentary team had the following verdict on the foul by Adu on Pickford in the 68th minute. “Both players arrived at the ball, Adu kicked out and missed the ball and got Pickford. Both went over. Ball went past. Immediate assessment, clear foul by Ghana, move on.”

80 min There was a defender on the line when Semenyo blocked Adu’s shot,. he was offside because Pickford was out of the game. He came to meet Adu, who was then challenged from the side by the flying Konsa. The ball ran past Pickford, who was unable to change direction,. then Adu manufactured a shot while lying on the ground.

Ghana break four on four. Fatawu plays a simple pass in behind, allowing the substitute Adu to charge through on goal. He takes a heavy touch and is potentially fouled by the lunging Konsa. Play continues, Adu has a shot blocked in the six-yard box by Semenyo, who couldn’t get out of the way,. then the flag goes up.

I think the flag was for offside against Semenyo, not Adu, which would mean his chance was a big one.

77 min Here’s my colleague Beau Dure on that Jordan Pickford business in the 68th minute.

double quotation mark We’re being told on Fox (by one of their best commentator teams) that the play couldn’t be reviewed. it didn’t involve a penalty appeal or a potential red card. On my referee message board. the word is that they can’t use the same “mistaken identity” excuse for checking things as they did when they switched a yellow card from Tim Ream (wrongly accused of foul) to Miguel Almiron (correctly accused of simulation) because no card was issued. So if the ref had given a yellow to the Ghanaian player, THEN they could have gone to VAR.

Which.. doesn’t make a lot of sense.

I don’t really mind loopholes like that, even if they’re not ideal. I wondered whether it was a potential Dogso red card for Pickford,. I guess that’s not the case from what you’ve said.

74 min Easy to forget, this being an English newspaper, what a draw would mean for Ghana. They haven’t played a World Cup knockout game since their unimaginably painful defeat to Uruguay in the quarter-final of 2010. A point tonight would all but ensure a place in the admittedly inflated knockout stage.

73 min: Double substitution Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze replace Jude Bellingham, who had a modest game, and Elliot Anderson.

72 min “Thomas Tuchel’s value won’t be seen until the knockout rounds when England play teams. are on the front foot,” writes Brendan Murphy. “Frankly, I’d be happy for England to just say: ‘Ok, eff it, you don’t want to play we won’t either. Queiroz is a famous pain in the arse. Don’t get worked up, take the point and move on…”

Yeah, in isolation this game is irrelevant to England’s chances of success,. I worry slightly about the impact on the all-important vibe.

71 min Hydration break o’clock.

70 min I’m surprised we haven’t seen Ivan Toney, who is probably England’s best option against such a deep defence.

England would have loved to have Toney at the back post to meet a brilliant cross from Madueke. Instead it was Saka, who couldn’t quite get on top of the ball and headed over the bar.

69 min Kane swishes a low. left-foot drive from 20 yards that is held by Asare as he falls to his left.

68 min Prince Kwabena Adu. who has just come on, runs onto a through ball that lures Pickford from his box. Pickford misses the ball, then collides with Adu – and the referee gives a free-kick to England.

It’s been cleared by VAR but I’d like to see that again.

67 min: Ghana substitutions Prince Kwabena Adu and Abdul Fatawu come on for Jordan Ayew and Inaki Williams.

65 min: England substitutions Bukayo Saka and Nico O’Reilly replaces Anthony Gordon and Djed Spence. That’s interesting; I assume Madueke will move to the left. O’Reilly is a much bigger goal threat, especially against a low block, than Spence.

63 min Gordon has improved a lot in the second half. When a free-kick is half cleared, he guides a careful pass across the edge of the area to Madueke, who opens his body. curls over the bar.

62 min That shot from Gordon in the 57th minute was the first on target at either end.

61 min Inaki Williams is booked for a lunging tackle on Gordon, who is starting to stir. Rice takes the free-kick and picks out the unmarked Anderson at the far post; his powerful header is well blocked.

59 min “Our wide forwards definitely seem to be the weak links at the moment,” says Fin. “Gordon and Madueke seem way off the level. Saka can help the right but will Rashford get the nod and not just as a finisher?”

I like Madueke. He’s erratic and frustrating, but at his best I think he can ruin any full-back in the world. Okay, most of them. He’s not as good as Saka but he is quicker. more direct, and England really need that in wide areas. Although Gordon’s start to the tournament is a bit of a concern. I think he (or Rashford) will be more threatening against better teams.

57 min England move the ball sharply from left to right, across the edge of the area. Madueke’s deflected shot is headed away in the six-yard box. then Gordon whips a shot straight at the keeper from the edge of the area.

54 min Bellingham takes a tumble in the area after running into Opoku. I don’t think it was a dive, but not was it a foul.

53 min “I missed an Elastica discussion,” writes Beau Dure, “Dang. That was a strong album through and through. FWIW, I thought the second Stone Roses album was great.

“I love hearing the Alan Parsons Project song Sirius as teams take the field. It’s a callback to the arena intro that raised the bar like a Mondo Duplantis of the 1990s.

“I think if I were on an opposing team. I’d race to the changing room out of abject fear even before they got around to introducing Michael Jordan.”

I’m not sure I’d call it a discussion. But it always warms my heart to know that there are football tragics out there who are as cool as me also like Elastica,. Bill Is Dead, and Jetplane by Sorry.

51 min I like Anthony Gordon a lot (sorry, Roy) but he hasn’t been at the races so far,. his defending was really poor just then.