MUNDIAL·26

First Stage · Group L · Tuesday, June 23 · Boston Stadium, Boston · 63,983 in the stands

kickoff 16:00 local · 19°C · 93% humidity

England

0:0

Ghana

tap a player for their match file

England4-2-3-1
Ghana4-1-4-1
Jordan PICKFORD7.1Ezri KONSA6.9Marc GUEHI7.5Reece JAMES7.4Djed SPENCE6.9Declan RICE7.4Elliot ANDERSON6.7Jude BELLINGHAM6.2Harry KANE6.3Anthony GORDON7.2Noni MADUEKE6.9Benjamin ASARE7.6Jonas ADJETEY6.4Gideon MENSAH7.3Jerome OPOKU7.3Marvin SENAYA7.0Caleb YIRENKYI6.4Thomas PARTEY6.7Kwasi SIBO6.7Antoine SEMENYO6.1Jordan AYEW6.1Inaki WILLIAMS6.0
from the bench

match pulse — xG per 5 minutes · goals · cards

45′90′ENGGHA

goals — hover the strip for every shot and card, with names

  • quiet five minutes — nothing on record
ENG 0:0 GHA0'kickoff
14' Rice — xG 0.02 · Missed15' Anderson — xG 0.05 · Blocked16' Rice — xG 0.05 · Blocked33' Bellingham — xG 0.02 · Blocked37' Rice — xG 0.04 · Missed45 + 4' Kane — xG 0.12 · Blocked50' Senaya — xG 0.04 · Blocked57' Madueke — xG 0.07 · Blocked57' Gordon — xG 0.03 · Saved61' Anderson — xG 0.04 · Blocked62' Anderson — xG 0.02 · Missed63' Anderson — xG 0.01 · Missed64' Madueke — xG 0.05 · Missed69' Kane — xG 0.04 · Saved70' Saka — xG 0.13 · Missed79' Adu — xG 0.13 · Blocked86' Saka — xG 0.02 · Saved86' O'Reilly — xG 0.12 · Post86' Kane — xG 0.32 · Missed90 + 3' O'Reilly — xG 0.09 · Missed90 + 3' Guéhi — xG 0.17 · Missed

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The xG race — cumulative expected goals, minute by minute

ENG 0:0 GHA
0.51.01.50′15′30′45′60′75′90′1.410.17

On paper vs as played — formation sheet vs heatmap reality

ENG 4-2-3-1 attack →, ← GHA 4-1-4-1 attack. The teamsheet, as announced.

1Jordan PICKFORDJordan PICKFORD2Ezri KONSAEzri KONSA6Marc GUEHIMarc GUEHI24Reece JAMESReece JAMES25Djed SPENCEDjed SPENCE4Declan RICEDeclan RICE8Elliot ANDERSONElliot ANDERSON10Jude BELLINGHAMJude BELLINGHAM9Harry KANEHarry KANE18Anthony GORDONAnthony GORDON20Noni MADUEKENoni MADUEKE16Benjamin ASAREBenjamin ASARE4Jonas ADJETEYJonas ADJETEY14Gideon MENSAHGideon MENSAH18Jerome OPOKUJerome OPOKU26Marvin SENAYAMarvin SENAYA3Caleb YIRENKYICaleb YIRENKYI5Thomas PARTEYThomas PARTEY8Kwasi SIBOKwasi SIBO11Antoine SEMENYOAntoine SEMENYO9Jordan AYEWJordan AYEW19Inaki WILLIAMSInaki WILLIAMS

The duel — team data, FIFA tracking included

72%
Possession
20%
1.78
Expected goals
0.34
82
Threat
18
19
Shots
2
3
On target
0
605
Passes completed
128
25
Forced turnovers
31
7.9s
Ball recovery time
22.5s
8.97
High-press phases
1.73
24
Fouls committed
14
2
Offsides
2
108 km
Distance covered
106 km
34.0 km/h
Top speed
35.1 km/h

Territory — where each team lived

Every player's heatmap, minutes-weighted and stacked per team. England attack →, ← Ghana attack. Brighter is more presence; where the colors meet is the contested ground.

How it happened

  1. 41′Declan RICE (England) is booked by the referee.
  2. 60′Inaki WILLIAMS (Ghana) is booked by the referee.
  3. 65′Bukayo SAKA (in) comes off the bench to replace Anthony GORDON (out) (England)
  4. 65′Nico OREILLY (in) comes off the bench to replace Djed SPENCE (out) (England)
  5. 66′Abdul FATAWU (in) comes off the bench to replace Inaki WILLIAMS (out) (Ghana)
  6. 66′Prince ADU (in) comes off the bench to replace Jordan AYEW (out) (Ghana)
  7. 74′Morgan ROGERS (in) comes off the bench to replace Jude BELLINGHAM (out) (England)
  8. 74′Eberechi EZE (in) comes off the bench to replace Elliot ANDERSON (out) (England)
  9. 83′Marcus RASHFORD (in) comes off the bench to replace Noni MADUEKE (out) (England)
  10. 87′Kojo Peprah OPPONG (in) comes off the bench to replace Marvin SENAYA (out) (Ghana)
  11. 90+5′Baba RAHMAN (in) comes off the bench to replace Prince ADU (out) (Ghana)

The morning-after column · AI-written from the match data

England's Dominance Counts for Nothing

England dominated completely. With 72% possession to Ghana's 20%, they controlled the tempo throughout a cagey first half before building pressure in the second. The Ghanaians defended deep and compact, denying space and inviting pressure. It was a match of clear tactical extremes: England's 4-2-3-1 probing, Ghana's 4-1-4-1 sitting and waiting. The turning points came late, when clear chances arrived but were spurned.

England's 1.78 xG and 19 shots told the story of relentless pressure, yet three efforts on target proved insufficient against Ghana's disciplined blocks. Benjamin Asare was immense at the back, marshalling the visitors' compact shape while Marc Guéhi and Reece James kept England steady. The fatal moment arrived in the 86th minute when a 0.32 xG chance went begging; three minutes into stoppage time, another opportunity (0.17 xG) slipped away. England's possession superiority and pressing intensity—high-press phases 9.0 to Ghana's 1.7—translated to control, not consequences.

England's 1.78 xG and 72% possession produced precisely zero goals—a study in wasted dominance.

86′

Unmarked or clear inside the box—a big chance spurned when England's grip seemed tightest.

What England needed

Possession without ruthlessness leaves only regret.

  • The 0.32 xG chance in 86 minutes had to go in; clinical finishing is non-negotiable.
  • Marc Guéhi (7.5) and Reece James (7.4) anchored brilliantly; attackers had to match them.
  • Nineteen shots but just three on target—conversion rate is the missing piece.

What Ghana needed

Asare's heroics wasted on a threadbare attack.

  • Benjamin Asare's 7.6 rating—the night's standout—needed support: 0.34 xG is not enough.
  • Two shots, zero on target: one clinical counter-attack on the break wins this.
  • Twenty-two-point-five second recovery time shows excellent discipline; one audacious phase could've flipped it.