The Three Lions were huge favourites given that they'd lost just one of their last 11 fixtures in all competitions (W9, D1), and were unbeaten in eight World Cup fixtures against African opponents (W5, D3).
Two changes to England's starting XI
By contrast, Ghana's 95th-minute win over Panama in their opening World Cup game was a first victory in seven (L5, D1), and the African's had lost four of their seven WC games against a European opponent (W2, D1).
Thomas Tuchel made two changes to his starting line-up, denying John Stones the opportunity to come face-to-face with former Manchester City teammate, Antoine Semenyo, but ensuring Stones' replacement, Marc Guehi, would fulfil that role.
Carlos Queiroz had brought in four new faces for what was almost certainly going to be a huge test against a rampant England side.
At just 22 years of age, Jude Bellingham became the youngest player in history to earn 50 caps for the Three Lions, whilst Harry Kane knew that he'd set a new England record of World Cup goals scored if he netted in this one.
Pattern set early
With five minutes gone, the pattern of the game had already been set. Ghana employed a defensive 4-5-1 formation to frustrate England at every opportunity and break at pace when possible, whilst Tuchel's men were at it from the first whistle.
A collective 77% possession - and six players with 100% pass completion - saw England stroking the ball around with ease, though Guehi's lack of sharpness was noticeable in the early stages as he was beaten for pace by Jordan Ayew.
The first effort of any note from either side didn't arrive until the 14th minute, as Declan Rice hammered a shot goalward, though it was just too high to trouble Benjamin Asare in the Ghana goal.
Anthony Gordon's industry began to cause problems for the Ghanaians, and Rice had quickly become the main man for his side, completing all of his passes whilst having more touches than his teammates in the box (two), and winning his only tackle attempted at that stage of the match.
Partey and Seneya brilliant for Ghana
Where Ghana were particularly strong was also in the midfield, as the returning Thomas Partey had won both of his one-on-one duels, and Marvin Senaya had won three of the four he'd attempted.
Bellingham hadn't really had the influence expected, losing both of his ground duels and also giving up possession on three separate occasions.
The longer the half went on, the more frustrated England became, and a series of free-kicks given away stopped them from building up any rhythm to their play.
With half an hour gone, however, Rice was the only player from the Three Lions to have made a tackle, indicating that they were on top. The lack of a goal and the type of swashbuckling style shown against Croatia would still have been a concern for Tuchel.
Kane completely nullified in the opening 45
For example, Kane had been completely nullified as an attacking spearhead, with no attempts at goal or touches in the box. Like his teammates, he'd had to dig in and meet fire with fire as Ghana's more physical style was proving successful for them and problematic for England.
As half-time approached, Noni Madueke's battle against Gideon Mensah became eminently watchable, with the Arsenal man unable to get the better of the full-back.
Although Ghana's play was untidy at best, as a defensive unit, they were solid, and England just couldn't penetrate the danger areas.
328 accurate passes compared to Ghana's 78, and England being better in virtually every aspect, was a fair reflection of the flow of the game, though a goalless first 45 certainly brought the Three Lions' inability in front of goal into sharper focus.
Ghana begin to take the game to the Three Lions
A noticeable change in Ghana's play was evident within the opening 10 minutes of the second half, as they were much more purposeful in possession and forced two early corners.
Senaya saw a shot blocked, and both Ayew and Semenyo were making nuisances of themselves as England toiled.
Ezri Konsa was called into action more than he might've liked, and before the hour mark, he'd attempted 80 passes in this game - the first time that an England player has attempted 80 passes or more in a single match in the World Cup.
There appeared to be a timidity from the Three Lions, and slow build-up play mirrored the first half against Croatia, leaving Tuchel raging on the touchline.
All change from Tuchel
Gordon did at least get an effort on target, though he really should've done better than firing it straight at Asare.
With only that one shot on target from 12 attempted, Tuchel had seen enough just after the hour, bringing on Bukayo Saka and Nico O'Reilly for Gordon and Djed Spence.
In reality, the poor movement of many of the England midfielders and attackers is what stifled their creativity, and more than once, Elliot Anderson had possession of the ball but no one to pass to. Given his 89.2% pass completion on the night, that was a criminal waste of his talents.
Kane eventually flashed a left-footed effort on target, though a collective lack of positive attacking intent really did hurt the Three Lions.
Ghana almost take late lead
With 12 minutes left, fellow England sub Eberechi Eze lost possession, and Prince Adu had a clear run at Jordan Pickford's goal.
Luckily for the Arsenal man, Konsa got back to snuff out the danger, in what was a period of time in the game where it was played in the English defensive third just 5.3% of the time.
In the closing stages, England pushed hard for the opener, with Saka bringing the best out of Asare, O'Reilly heading against the bar, and Kane then firing well over from just a few yards out, with just his 17th touch of the match.
Marcus Rashford had added a new dimension to the attack, and yet it was still the Ghanaians who looked dangerous. He also managed to have four of his side's 10 touches in the England box.
By stoppage time, 24 clearances made by Ghana's back four at least suggested a bit more fight from England, and a real backs-against-the-wall showing in the final stages, somehow kept the Three Lions at bay.
Despite still being way ahead in every aspect at full-time, the result was a huge reality check for Tuchel and his side.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
