England came into Tuesday’s World Cup match against Ghana as a heavy favorite to win and earn a ticket to the knockout round.
But after failing to break through, they will be left with more work to do. The teams played to a scoreless draw, leaving both with identical 1-0-1 records — and keeping England from reaching the next round just yet.
England Needs More to Reach Round of 32
As SB Nation reported, England looked to be in prime position to join the United States and others in earning a berth in the Round of 32, but needed a win to do so.
“Fresh off a command performance against Croatia, England can clinch a spot in the Round of 32, and potentially Group L, on Tuesday,” the report noted. “With a win against Ghana, England is through to the Round of 32. In addition, if England beats Ghana, and Panama loses or draws against Croatia, England will win Group L. More on that in a moment.
“A draw against Ghana does not clinch a spot in the knockout round for England.”
England will still be in strong position to advance in the World Cup, especially after their opening game win over Croatia, but will need more results from Group L before making it official.
As Dom Ferrell of The Sporting News noted, England’s win against Croatia and draw against Ghana has already all but guaranteed that they will be in position to advance, even if they don’t win their final match.
“The way the tournament is shaping up as a whole, it is likely that a draw would be enough for England to at least be guaranteed progress as one of the best third-place finishers, irrespective of what happens in their final Group match against Panama,” Ferrell wrote.
Ghana is now in the same position, despite coming into Tuesday’s match as a hefty underdog to England. The draw will put them in strong shape to advance to the Round of 32, with only a match against Croatia remaining.
England Nearly Broke Through in Furious Finish
After generating inconsistent pressure throughout the match, England made a strong push in the final minutes. Keeper Banjamin Asare stopped England’s Bukayo Saka, and Nico O’Reilly hit the crossbar on a header, with Harry Kane sending the rebound high over the goal.
As Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports noted, Ghana put its focus on defense against England, aiming to keep them to lower-quality shots with a defensive wall in front of keeper Asare.
“Ghana’s strategy was evident from the start,” Bromberg wrote. “It was content to maintain its defensive shape in front of goal and force England to methodically break it down. That resulted in the first game all tournament where neither team had a shot on goal in the first half.”
Ghana’s strategy worked, allowing 18 total shots from England but with only four on target. Ghana managed just two shots in total, allowing England to control the pace of the game but largely keeping their attack at bay with a strong defense.
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