England Held By Resilient Ghana As Harry Kane Misses Late Chance In World Cup Stalemate

• England were frustrated by Ghana in a goalless draw at Gillette Stadium after dominating possession and chances.
• Harry Kane missed a golden opportunity late on as Thomas Tuchel’s side failed to secure early qualification for the knockout stages.
• Ghana moved into a strong position to reach the last 32 after earning a valuable point against one of the tournament favourites.

England’s World Cup campaign suffered a setback on Tuesday as Harry Kane missed a late chance and Thomas Tuchel’s side were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Ghana at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

After opening the tournament with an impressive 4-2 victory over Croatia, England entered the match with the opportunity to secure qualification for the knockout stages. Instead, they were frustrated by a disciplined Ghana side that executed their defensive gameplan superbly and left with a valuable point.

The decisive moment arrived in the 86th minute when Nico O’Reilly’s header crashed against the crossbar and fell kindly for Kane inside the penalty area. England’s all-time leading scorer, who netted twice in the opening game, blasted his effort over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

“They defended with a lot of determination. A lot of discipline,” Tuchel said after the match.

“Kane was not involved as much as we would like to, but it was so narrow.

“It was difficult to find space. The little moments that he had were just so unlucky.”

England dominated almost every statistical category, finishing with 79 percent possession and outshooting Ghana 19-1. The possession figure was the highest recorded by a team that failed to score in a World Cup match in the past six decades.

Despite the control, clear-cut opportunities were limited as Ghana sat deep and remained compact throughout.

“You go through games like that,” Kane told BBC Sport.

“I was waiting for an opportunity like that to fall my way and it was a game as a striker where you are just waiting for the ball to bounce. It did and I just couldn’t quite get over the ball.

“Yeah, I’d back myself to score that more often than not, but it is what it is, and I’ve been a striker long enough to know they don’t always go in, so I have to accept it.”

Ghana celebrated enthusiastically at full-time after collecting a point that strengthened their hopes of reaching the knockout stages for the first time since their memorable quarterfinal run in 2010.

Head coach Carlos Queiroz praised his players for carrying out their tactical plan perfectly.

“Our plan was to block and frustrate them from the first minute,” Queiroz said.

“We did it.”

England struggled to find rhythm in the first half despite controlling possession. Kane came closest before the interval when he failed to convert from inside the penalty area, while Ghana remained organised and difficult to break down.

The African side offered more attacking threat after the restart and almost created a breakthrough in the 50th minute when Marvin Senaya connected with a header inside the box, only for England’s defence to block the effort.

Their best opening arrived 12 minutes from time when Abdul Fatawu won possession and surged down the flank before finding Prince Adu. The forward looked poised to shoot before Ezri Konsa recovered to make a crucial challenge, with Ghana unsuccessfully appealing for a foul.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham admitted his side struggled to find solutions against Ghana’s defensive shape.

“Frustrated a little bit with how they defended, how they set up,” Bellingham said.

“They got exactly out of the game what they played for. Couldn’t quite break them down, even with all corners, all the possession, all the shots on goal from distance.”

The draw leaves both nations well placed heading into the final round of Group L fixtures.

England will face Panama knowing a positive result will secure progression, while Ghana take on Croatia with qualification for the knockout stages firmly within reach.

“Look, we wanted the win, but we take the point and we’re still in a great position in the group,” Kane said.