After England brushed aside Croatia with a 4-2 victory, it was expected that the Three Lions would make short work of Ghana and book their place to the knock-out stage of the World Cup 2026.

It didn’t go according to script with Ghana employing a five-man defence and not allowing England to settle on the ball. Ghana’s low block worked a treat, and England had no answer.

England got off to a slow start again, just as it did against Croatia, with no shot on target in the first half.

Ghana is a strong, physical team, and the strategy was clear: to hit England on the counter, mindful of the threat its frontline possesses. 

England enjoyed ball possession but was unable to find a way through Ghana’s stubborn resistance. One can’t help but think that teams like Argentina, Spain and France would have found a way to unlock Ghana, but England did not have the answer. 

The Three Lions huffed and puffed but could not blow the house down.

In the second half, Thomas Tuchel took off Anthony Gordon and replaced him with Saka. Marcus Rashford has had to watch both his club and country prefer Gordon over him, and should have a point to prove. Rashford was not that effective against the African team, and Coach Thomas Tuchel may rue his decision not to bring Phil Foden and Cole Palmer to this tournament. England desperately needs someone who can create something special, someone able to go past players and score.

Again, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson combined effectively in midfield.

England left it late and came alive in the last fifteen minutes of the game, with Harry Kane missing a sitter. Ghana has shown how to neutralise the effectiveness of the Bayern Munich star striker by cutting off his supply and marking him out of the game.

This was a turgid performance against the Black Stars, and England will have to pick up the pace if it is to go deep into this year’s World Cup.

They are jointly on top of their Group with Ghana, each holding 4 points. A win or a draw against Panama on Saturday will see them through to the next stage.

After the match, England captain Harry Kane said: “The Group stage is just about getting through, finding the rhythm, getting players on the pitch, and just getting them feeling the World Cup feeling. Then the knockout stage will be completely different. We’ve pretty much done part one, which is the main thing. We’re in a good place.

“It’s not straightforward. I know we like to get carried away sometimes and after the Croatia performance, rightly so, because it was great. But this is the fourth tournament in a row where the second game hasn’t gone as well as we would have liked. That’s where me and the experienced guys who have lived through it will be a calming influence on some of the other boys.”