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England commenced their quest for a first World Cup success in six decades with an impressive 4-2 triumph over Croatia, who twice fought back from a goal down but failed to take a share of the spoils.
An action-packed contest from start to finish, it only took until the eighth minute for the first piece of drama to unfold. Luka Modrić’s clumsy tackle on Noni Madueke resulted in referee Clément Turpin pointing to the spot, but Harry Kane saw his penalty saved by Dominik Livaković. However, VAR intervened to order a retake, having ruled that the Croatian ‘keeper was standing in front of his line when Kane pulled the trigger. The Bayern Munich star made no mistake the second time round.
Martin Baturina then lashed a stunning equaliser past Jordan Pickford, who struggled to follow the ball’s flight path as it flew towards his net. Kane then became England’s joint top all-time World Cup goalscorer with three minutes of the first half remaining, heading home Declan Rice’s corner to equal Gary Lineker’s long-standing record. However, Thomas Tuchel’s men were pegged back again just before the interval thanks to a well-taken finish from Petar Musa.
After Jude Bellingham produced a fine solo goal during the second half’s opening exchanges, Marcus Rashford curled a fine effort into the bottom corner to put the match beyond Croatia’s reach.
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Ghana weren’t quite as convincing in their narrow victory over CONCACAF minnows Panama in Toronto, but securing maximum points in a must-win game was always the main priority.
The Black Stars created very little in the final third, while their opponents spurned several chances to go in front. The deadlock was finally broken deep into second-half injury time, when Caleb Yirenkyi tapped home from close range following some excellent work down the left-hand side by Coventry City’s Brandon Thomas-Asante.
Having remarkably lost five of their previous six fixtures ahead of the World Cup, Ghana now find themselves one positive result away from advancing to the knockout stages.
Tuesday’s keenly anticipated clash will be televised exclusively live on BBC One, with kick-off scheduled for 21:00 (BST).
England v Ghana – Key information
Date: Tuesday, June 23rd
Kick-off time: 21:00 (BST)
Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough (MA)
Referee: Said Martinez
TV Channels/Live stream: BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website
Odds: England: 2/9, Draw: 11/2, Ghana: 12/1
Odds provided by bet365
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England team news
Tino Livramento’s World Cup campaign is unfortunately over after sustaining a calf injury during a routine training session, leaving England short of defensive cover. Thomas Tuchel has since called up Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, whose only previous international appearance came in a sobering 3-1 defeat to Senegal last summer.
Having hobbled off midway through the second half of Wednesday evening, Declan Rice was quick to confirm that he hadn’t developed any fresh injury concerns. The Arsenal midfielder has been receiving injections to manage a back problem for several months, so he’s still playing through the pain barrier.
Marcus Rashford was seen clutching his hamstring during the closing stages at the AT&T Stadium, but it appears this was just a temporary ailment. The 28-year-old attacker – who will soon head back to Old Trafford with his future undecided following a season-long loan spell at Barcelona – could come into the starting XI thanks to his impactful cameo performance.
Tuchel opted to utilise the physicality of Ezri Konsa against a powerful Croatian outfit, resulting in Marc Guéhi missing out. However, the ball-playing Manchester City defender could be recalled for Tuesday’s meeting with Ghana, given that England are expecting to spend far more time in possession.
England predicted lineup v Croatia (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Thomas Tuchel
Jordan Pickford (GK); Reece James, John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Nico O'Reilly; Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford; Harry Kane
Ghana team news
After being involved in several painful collisions as he bravely commanded his box, Lawrence Ati Zigi was withdrawn at half-time on Wednesday night. The experienced goalkeeper was replaced by Benjamin Asare, but it looks as if Ghana’s number one will be fit enough to feature between the sticks against England.
Although he otherwise has a fully fit squad to choose from, Carlos Queiroz is without two of his key players for this summer’s tournament. Spartak Moscow defender Alexander Djiku developed a hamstring issue in the recent Russian Cup final, while Mohammed Kudus has been carrying a quad injury since the turn of the year.
Thomas Partey was denied entry into Canada and therefore missed his country’s opening match, as he remains the subject of a criminal investigation. There were no such problems when the former Arsenal midfielder travelled to the US, so he’ll be available until at least the conclusion of the group stage.
Having both made a positive impression from the bench against Panama, Brandon Thomas-Asante and Leicester City’s Abdul Fatawu are pushing for starts.
Ghana predicted lineup v England (4-4-1-1)
Coach: Carlos Queiroz
Lawrence Ati Zigi (GK); Marvin Senaya, Jonas Adjetey, Jerome Opoku, Gideon Mensah; Abdul Fatawu, Caleb Yirenkyi, Elisha Owusu, Antoine Semenyo; Kamaldeen Sulemana; Jordan Ayew
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
The BBC are showing 52 of the 104 World Cup matches being played this summer, but only one of England’s three group stage contests. Their coverage of the Three Lions contest against Ghana commences at 20:00 (BST) on BBC One, with all regional variations of the channel receiving the same broadcast.
Online viewers can follow events at Gillette Stadium on the BBC Sport website or BBC iPlayer, provided they possess a valid TV license.
Head-to-head record
The only other previous meeting between these two teams came in 2011, when a late strike from Asamoah Gyan – who played his club football for Sunderland at the time – earned Ghana a 1-1 draw in a low-key international friendly.
England have never lost to an African representative at the World Cup, winning five and drawing three of their eight fixtures to date. Having already faced Morocco, Egypt, Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, Algeria, and Senegal in FIFA’s flagship competition, the Black Stars will be their eighth CAF opponent.
Ghana have only won two group stage matches in a single World Cup campaign on one occasion. Before being swept aside by Brazil in the last sixteen, Ratomir Dujković’s side beat the Czech Republic 2-0 at the RheinEnergieStadion and secured a narrow victory over the USA in Nuremberg.
Having lost each of their last four World Cup outings against European opposition, the Ghanaians will be hoping to halt a concerning pattern on Tuesday evening. The most recent disappointment in this sequence unfolded less than four years ago in Doha, where they suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of eventual quarter-finalists Portugal.
England v Ghana – Match result odds
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365.
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