Ghana produced one of the performances of the 2026 World Cup to hold England to a goalless draw at Boston Stadium — a result that shakes Group L wide open going into the final round of fixtures. Thomas Tuchel's side dominated large portions of the game but were frustrated at every turn by a brilliantly organised Carlos Queiroz defence, with goalkeeper Benjamin Asare producing the save of the tournament to deny Bukayo Saka in the second half. England hit the crossbar through O'Reilly and had a Guehi header cleared off the line in stoppage time. Ghana held on. The final whistle was greeted by pandemonium in the Ghanaian end of Boston Stadium.
HOW GHANA DID IT
Queiroz set his side up in a deep 5-4-1 block — exactly the kind of shape that gave England problems at the 2022 World Cup against the USA and 2014 against Costa Rica. Ghana were compact, disciplined and dangerous on the counter. Bellingham came from absolutely nowhere to stretch out a telescopic leg and deny Antoine Semenyo when he looked certain to get into the box early in the second half. Moments later, Djed Spence made a wonderful last-ditch tackle when Marvin Senaya broke down the right — two crucial moments in quick succession that kept the scoreline level when Ghana were at their most dangerous.
England's first half was described by NBC Sports as "very predictable and slow" — carrying the ball into congested areas, unable to find the pace and directness that had destroyed Croatia in the opener. Rashford and Saka were introduced before the hour mark to inject urgency. Thomas Partey, who missed the Panama game after the Canadian government blocked his visa application over his ongoing rape case — he has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of rape and one of sexual assault — started in midfield alongside Kwasi Sibo and was excellent in breaking up England's rhythm and initiating Ghana's counter-attacks.
THE KEY MOMENTS
England's best chance of the match arrived late. O'Reilly connected with a cross from Reece James from the right, the ball rattling the crossbar and coming back into play. Kane, arriving to follow up, lashed his effort over the top — a moment that summed up England's afternoon. Asare's save to deny Saka was the defining moment — a powerful effort towards the bottom-left corner met by a brilliant diving stop. In stoppage time, Guehi met a corner and headed goal-bound, only for a Ghana defender to clear off the line. England had four big chances and took none of them. Ghana had two clear openings on the counter — Bellingham's tackle on Semenyo and Spence's tackle on Senaya prevented both from materialising.
Rice appeared to pick up a knock after a coming together with Yirenkyi and was monitored at full time — his condition for the Panama game is being assessed. Rashford was on the field for much of the second half but was contained by substitute Kojo Peprah Oppong, who came on specifically to deal with him and did so effectively.
LINEUPS
England (4-3-3): Pickford; Spence, Guehи, Guehi, James; Bellingham, Rice, O'Reilly; Madueke, Kane, Anderson. Subs: Rashford (for Madueke), Saka (for Anderson), Rogers (for O'Reilly).
Ghana (5-4-1): Asare; Seidu, Opoku, Mumin, Mensah, Baba; Senaya, Partey, Sibo, Yirenkyi; Semenyo. Subs: Peprah Oppong (for Senaya), Sulemana (for Yirenkyi), Thomas-Asante (for Semenyo).
THE NUMBERS
England: 68% possession, 14 shots, 5 on target. Ghana: 32% possession, 3 shots, 1 on target. Asare: 5 saves — man of the match. England third time in five World Cups held to a 0-0 in their second group game.
WHAT IT MEANS
Both teams remain on four points heading into the final group game. England face Panama and Ghana face Croatia — both on June 27. A draw for both sides in their respective final games would be enough to progress. Ghana need only match England's result to advance. If Ghana beat Croatia and England lose to Panama, Ghana would top the group — a scenario that would have seemed impossible before kick-off. Queiroz saluted the Ghana fans at full time, pointing to the stands. It is Ghana's best World Cup result since their quarter-final run in South Africa in 2010.