It’s only the second game, but England x Ghana can be seen as the first decision for those involved, both with 3 points in Group L of the World Cup.
Whoever wins the match in Boston, this Tuesday (23), at 5 pm, will confirm their place in the next phase of the competition.
In the first round, England beat Croatia 4-2; The Ghanaians beat Panama 1-0. If the English win, they will also guarantee first place in the group one round in advance.
Despite being considered by many as the main team in the first round —also due to the quality of their debut rival, top 3 in the last two World Cups—, England has points that left something to be desired for German coach Thomas Tuchel.
After going through the European qualifiers without conceding a single goal, the team conceded two goals in their first game in the United States.
According to Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, Tuchel is demanding more organization. “I think we need to be more organized, have more control of the ball, show more of what we can do with the ball.”
In attack, however, the English team has nothing to complain about. With two goals on his debut, Harry Kane reached ten, tying with Gary Lineker for the country’s top scorer in World Cups.
The schedule, however, has left the Bayern Munich striker almost like a luxury supporting player in the World Cup. This is because he plays one day after the popular trio of Messi (Argentina), Mbappé (France) and Haaland (Norway).
In the first round, despite scoring the same two goals as the Frenchman and the Norwegian — and one less than the Argentinean —, the Englishman was less popular, but this does not bother Kane, who praises the group’s unity as the key to success.
“Every day we have grown closer, built bonds as a group and felt more comfortable with each other,” he said. “It feels like everything is falling into place, and we’re just at the beginning of the journey.”
The one who should start on the bench again is Arsenal striker Saka. The Premier League champion has been dealing with an Achilles problem for a few weeks and is still not fit to play 90 minutes.
Substituted in the second half, Declan Rice is another one that worries the English medical team. The midfielder, however, said that he has been playing with pain since Christmas and that he is ready to take the field.
group reset
Shortly after the game between England and Ghana, Panama plays its second World Cup match at 8pm this Tuesday, again in Toronto, this time against Croatia.
Defeated in their debut, both teams have 0 points and could say goodbye to the World Cup in the event of another setback — also depending on what happens in the other game in the group.
“It’s very important that we are at the right level after this defeat [para a Inglaterra]. We have no right to make any more mistakes,” said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić.
Despite managing to balance the actions against Ghana in the first round, the Caribbean team is still looking for its first point in World Cups.
