England Held to 0-0 Draw by Ghana Amid 'Crossbar Misfortune'

▲ England's Harry Kane holds his head in frustration.

The England national football team, aiming for its first World Cup title in 60 years, was held to a draw after failing to break through Ghana's dense defense, plagued by "crossbar misfortune."

England drew 0-0 against Ghana in their second Group L match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held at Boston Stadium in Massachusetts, USA, on Wednesday (June 24).

With this draw, both England and Ghana now have a record of one win and one draw (4 points), with England maintaining the top spot due to a superior goal difference.

England attempted a staggering 18 shots but managed only four on target against Ghana's "dense and desperate" defense. The team had to settle for a single point as a crucial header hit the crossbar.

On the other hand, Ghana, which recorded only two shots, adopted a strategy of simply avoiding defeat against England and succeeded in securing a point.

England, coming off a big win against Croatia in their first match, started with a 4-2-3-1 formation led by star striker Harry Kane. Ghana, which also defeated Panama in their opener, countered with a 4-1-4-1 formation featuring veteran forward Jordan Ayew.

While England played aggressively from the start, Ghana deployed Thomas Partey—who had been denied entry to Canada due to rape allegations—as a defensive midfielder for the first time, sticking to a "defend first, counterattack later" strategy.

Struggling to create shooting opportunities against Ghana's strong defensive tactics, England had their first chance from a free kick in the 14th minute, but Declan Rice's right-footed shot narrowly missed the crossbar.

Kane, who was under tight marking by Ghanaian defenders, received a through pass from Rice in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. He managed to overcome four defenders to attempt a shot from the left side of the penalty area, but it was blocked by the defensive wall.

England, which dominated the attack, failed to record a single shot on target out of six attempts during the first half due to Ghana's packed defense. Ghana, which remained deeply defensive, finished the first half with "zero shots."

Ghana, having ended the first half scoreless, recorded their first shot of the match 50 minutes in when Marvin Senaya, receiving a pass behind the defense, broke into the right side of the penalty area and fired a right-footed shot that was blocked by the English defensive wall.

England increased the intensity of their offensive and continued to knock on Ghana's door, but they could not break through the defensive wall that filled the penalty area.

In the 69th minute, a left-footed shot by Kane from near the left side of the penalty arc went straight to the goalkeeper, and a minute later, a header by Bukayo Saka in front of the goal sailed over the crossbar, wasting England's efforts.

England ramped up their offensive in the final minutes. In the 87th minute, a left-footed shot by Saka from the right side of the penalty arc was blocked by the goalkeeper's save. In the ensuing attack, Nico O'Reilly's header in front of the goal hit the crossbar, squandering a decisive scoring opportunity.

When O'Reilly's header rebounded off the goalpost, Kane attempted a powerful left-footed shot from the center of the goal area, but it sailed well over the crossbar, and he ultimately failed to find the back of the net.

As the match finally ended in a draw, Ghana's head coach Carlos Queiroz clenched both fists and celebrated with his coaching staff.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

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