England were held to a 0-0 draw by Ghana in their second World Cup game on Tuesday.
The Three Lions were sorely underwhelming in the first half on the back of the impressive victory over Croatia, and it took until the 57th minute for Anthony Gordon to register England's first shot on target; a tame effort straight at goalkeeper Benjamin Asare.
Ghana had a chance to take the lead when hitting England on the break, with substitute Prince Adu brought down by Ezri Konsa only for the Aston Villa man to be given a reprieve by the referee.
England looked better for the introductions of Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka, and ought to have won the game late on when Nico O'Reilly hit the crossbar with Harry Kane firing a volley over the bar from close range.
Despite the setback, England have the chance to secure top spot in their group when taking on Panama on Saturday, and likely have one eye on the World Cup knockout stages.
Bet on England at the World Cup.
England Player Ratings
Jordan Pickford - 5
Didn't have a shot to save, but was very lucky to be awarded a free-kick when taking out Prince Adu. Did little to ease the apparent pressure on his shoulders.
Reece James - 5
Occasionally supported in attack, but to no real impact.
Ezri Konsa - 5
Had virtually no defending to do until the 79th minute when he was very lucky not to give a penalty away.
Marc Guehi - 6
Like his defensive partner, had a quiet day at the office and kept things ticking over in possession.
Djed Spence - 5
Was introduced to defend counter-attacks but had no counter-attacks to defend.
Elliot Anderson - 5
Saw plenty of the ball in midfield but never carved Ghana open and never really looked likely to.
Declan Rice - 6
A typical all-action display from Rice who showed no symptoms of any fitness concerns, but didn't impact the game enough in possession.
Jude Bellingham - 5
Cut an isolated figure throughout the contest with Ghana defenders swarming around the Real Madrid man.
Noni Madueke - 5
England looked at their most dangerous when Madueke had the ball, but the lack of end product was a recurring theme throughout the game.
Anthony Gordon - 4
Peripheral. Pocketed. In a strange way, Rashford's impact from the bench might be what keeps Gordon in the team.
Harry Kane - 5
Not receiving the ball up top, Kane frequently dropped deep to try and influence matters but struggled. Missed a gilt-edged chance late on.
Bukayo Saka - 6
A promising cameo from the Arsenal man who forced a smart save from Benjamin Asare.
Morgan Rogers - 5
The correct introduction, but like Bellingham, struggled to find enough space to make a telling impact.
Marcus Rashford - 6
Looked much better than his predecessors on the wing, though there wasn't a high bar to clear. Thomas Tuchel will have been pleased with Rashford's latest appearance from the bench.
Nico O'Reilly - 5
Brought on for his talents in possession but wasn't able to make a difference on the ball. Perhaps should have scored when hitting the bar with his header.
Eberechi Eze - 5
No notable contributions, and found himself caught in possession when Ghana were unlucky not to win a penalty.
England v Ghana Match Stats
England | Ghana | |
79% | Possession | 21% |
19 | Shots | 2 |
3 | Shots on Target | 1 |
0 | Goalkeeper Saves | 3 |
9 | Corners | 2 |
586 | Passes | 128 |
93% | Pass Accuracy | 74% |
14 | Tackles | 22 |
6 | Clearances | 39 |
1 | Yellow Cards | 1 |
0 | Red Cards | 0 |
England v Ghana Timeline
41' - Yellow card for Declan Rice
58' - Yellow card for Inaki Williams
65' - Substitutions for England: Bukayo Saka and Nico O'Reilly for Anthony Gordon and Djed Spence
66' - Substitutions for Ghana: Abdul Fatawu and Prince Adu for Inaki Williams and Jordan Ayew
73' - Substitutions for England: Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for Jude Bellingham and Elliot Anderson
83' - Substitution for England: Marcus Rashford for Noni Madueke
87' - Substitution for Ghana: Kojo Oppong for Marvin Senaya
90' - Substitution for Ghana: Rahman Baba for Prince Adu
