England were given a reality check after being held to a goalless draw with Ghana in their second Group L match of the World Cup 2026.
With optimism high that the Three Lions could qualify for the knockout rounds this evening, the first half saw chances limited as the African nation set up with a low block and a solid defensive shape. England finished the half without a shot on target and they struggled to rediscover their best form after the break.
Nico O’Reilly came off the bench to strike the crossber with a headed effort and Harry Kane blasted the rebound over the top in what was perhaps the best chance of the game.
England have now drawn their second match at a fourth major tournament in a row though they are all but confirmed to be in the next round with four points from their two matches.
Speaking on BBC One, pundit Micah Richards gave his thoughts on England’s performance and determined that the team lacked bravery in comparison with how they played against Croatia last week.
“That was their [Ghana’s] tactic, they were going to go into that low block and frustrate England,” Richards explained.
“The frustrating thing for me was England weren’t brave enough. We talked about Croatia when they were in the formation and knew exactly what they wanted to do, they were energetic.
“Yes, we knew they were going to come up against a team that was going in a low block, can you unpick it? I just feel as though people were making too many safe passes. You’ve got to be more brave when you’re up against a team in that low block.”
Former England captain Wayne Rooney also rued the lack of energy from England and wanted more threat from the wide areas which seemed to be where England’s best chances came from.
“I think you’re always hoping for that energy and performance that we had against Croatia in the second half but these games are so difficult when a team sits back,” Rooney said.
“For me the key was getting crosses into the box, that’s where all the crosses came from and we didn’t get enough crosses in. That was a typical Carlos Quieroz team performance. Ghana were excellent, the discipline, the concentration in how they defended.”
Joe Hart concluded that the result was not the worst for England and labelled it a ‘difficult night’ for the Three Lions saying: “It’s key that we don’t get too high and we don’t get too low.
“It was a difficult performance, there were a few things at half-time that England weren’t necessarily prepared for. Credit to Ghana, an absolutely brilliant gameplan and they could have nicked it. Loads of things to work on, it’s just a difficult night.”
