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0 The Black Stars coach, Carlos Queiroz, has asked Ghanaians to be calm in the face of the nationwide celebration over the team’s exploits at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
He said this in his post-match interaction after guiding the Black Stars to hold the Three Lions of England in a goalless second Group L encounter at the Boston Stadium.
Prior to that, Ghana had accounted for Panama 1-0 in their group opener in Toronto, Canada.
With that, the Black Stars lie second in Group L behind England with four points, differentiated by a solitary goal with last round of matches against Croatia and Panama looming.
The good fortune notwithstanding, Queiroz insisted that Ghana’s work was far from finished despite the valuable 0-0 draw with England, telling the fans that the Black Stars were “just on our way to reaching the World Cup knockout stage.”
“We have not won anything yet,” Queiroz said post-match. “We’re just on our way to reaching the main goal, which is to qualify for the second round of the World Cup,” he noted.
The coach dedicated Tuesday’s performance to the supporters back home. “We have to dedicate this effort to the fans of Ghana,” he said, citing that, “They deserve it. The players gave everything.”
Queiroz praised his squad’s resilience after Benjamin Asare’s clean sheet and a disciplined defensive display from Jerome Opoku, Jonas Adjetey, Marvin Senaya and Gideon Mensah.
“Points in this World Cup are terribly expensive,” Queiroz added. “When you get one, you have to fight for it. Now we recover and focus on Croatia.”
Queiroz made four changes from the 1-0 win over Panama, handing starts to Thomas Partey, Inaki Williams, Benjamin Asare and Kwasi Sibo in a 4-3-3 formation.
England dominated possession early through Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, but Ghana’s midfield trio of Partey, Sibo, and Caleb Yirenkyi kept the Three Lions at bay.
The best chance of the first half fell to Harry Kane in the 34th minute, but Asare stood tall to deny the England captain from close range.
Ghana’s biggest opening came just after the hour. Inaki Williams broke behind Marc Guehi and forced a sharp save from Jordan Pickford, with Antoine Semenyo firing the rebound over.
Both coaches turned to their benches late on. Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford tested Asare from distance, while Jordan Ayew and Semenyo looked to hit England on the break, but neither side could find a breakthrough in front of 65,878 at Gillette Stadium.
Even though England applied pressure in the closing stages, they appeared very fortunate not to concede a penalty late on when Ezri Konsa challenged Prince Kwabena Adu in the area, bringing him down without making any contact with the ball.
The result means England and Ghana each sit on four points in Group L. Ghana face Croatia in their final group game on June 28.
BY TIMES SPORTS REPORTER
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