ENGLAND missed the opportunity to secure an early place in the World Cup knockout stage after being held to a frustrating draw by Ghana, while Colombia booked their place in the last 32 with a hard-fought victory over DR Congo.
News Point Nigeria Sports report that Thomas Tuchel’s side entered the contest knowing that victory would guarantee qualification from Group L, but they were unable to replicate the flowing attacking football that swept aside Croatia in their opening game as Ghana’s discipline, organisation and defensive resilience earned them a valuable point.
Meanwhile, in Guadalajara, a late strike from Daniel Munoz handed Colombia a deserved victory over DR Congo, securing qualification for the knockout phase after a second consecutive win.
At Boston Stadium, England struggled to break down a Ghana side content to sit deep and allow long spells of possession, a stark contrast to Croatia’s approach in their opening encounter.
England were forced to wait 57 minutes before registering a shot on target and once again looked vulnerable defensively, surviving several anxious moments as Ghana threatened on the counter-attack in what became a scrappy and disjointed contest.
Seeking inspiration, Tuchel introduced Bukayo Saka, whose playing time is being carefully managed because of a lingering Achilles problem, while Morgan Rogers replaced Jude Bellingham in an effort to inject creativity and unlock Ghana’s defence.
The changes almost paid off.
Saka forced an excellent save from Ghana goalkeeper Benjamin Asare, while substitute Nico O’Reilly came agonisingly close to finding a winner when his header crashed against the crossbar. Marc Guehi was also denied after seeing his header cleared off the line.
Despite England’s late pressure, they appeared fortunate not to concede a penalty in the closing stages when Ezri Konsa brought down Prince Kwabena Adu inside the area without making contact with the ball.
The result leaves England top of Group L, but Tuchel’s men must now wait until their final group match against Panama to confirm qualification for the World Cup knockout rounds.
England’s confidence had been high following their impressive attacking display against Croatia, but this encounter provided a sobering reminder of the different challenges presented at the World Cup.
While Croatia attempted to press England and, to some extent, played into their strengths, Ghana adopted a more cautious approach, sitting deep and inviting England to break them down.
It was the type of contest that required a moment of individual brilliance, but England failed to produce the necessary X-factor.
Tuchel explored multiple options in search of a breakthrough, with Saka replacing the ineffective Anthony Gordon and immediately offering greater attacking threat. The Arsenal winger came closest to scoring when he forced Asare into a diving save.
England eventually found greater urgency in the closing stages, but O’Reilly’s effort against the woodwork and Guehi’s goal-bound header cleared off the line summed up a frustrating evening for the Three Lions.
Overall, it was a disappointing performance from England, who found no answer to a Ghana side ranked 64th in the world and considerably more stubborn than Croatia.
Elsewhere, Colombia continued their impressive World Cup campaign by defeating DR Congo 1-0 to secure a place in the last 32.
Backed by a largely supportive crowd in Guadalajara, Colombia dominated much of the contest but needed a late goal from Crystal Palace wing-back Daniel Munoz to finally break DR Congo’s resistance.
Munoz struck in the 76th minute after a clever pass from Juan Fernando Quintero found him in space. His left-footed effort took a slight deflection off a defender, wrong-footing goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi before finding the net at the near post.
The victory ensured Colombia remained top of Group K and guaranteed their passage into the knockout rounds, while DR Congo slipped to third place and must now defeat Uzbekistan in their final group match to retain any hope of qualification.
Munoz had been a constant threat throughout the match and could have opened the scoring as early as the fourth minute after Jhon Arias’ effort was parried into his path, only for the defender to fire into the side netting from close range.
Two minutes later, he thought he had scored after converting a rebound from his own saved header, but the effort was ruled out for offside following a tight decision.
Colombia maintained relentless pressure throughout the opening stages but repeatedly found themselves frustrated by Mpasi, who produced a series of important saves to keep DR Congo in the contest.
The South Americans continued to dominate after the break and should have gone ahead in the 50th minute when Luis Diaz found himself through on goal. However, he failed to beat Mpasi, while Arias dragged the rebound wide.
Just as the match appeared destined to become a night of missed opportunities for Colombia, Quintero threaded a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Munoz, who finally found the decisive touch.
DR Congo pushed forward in search of an equaliser during the closing stages, but Colombia stood firm to secure a deserved victory and become one of the latest teams to confirm their place in the World Cup knockout phase.