On the back of beating Panama in the opening group game at the BMO Stadium in Canada, the Black Stars of Ghana would hope for an improved performance against tournament favorites, England.
The three Lions of England took Croatia to the cleaners, dispatching them in a six-goal thriller.
The last time the Black Stars of Ghana squared off with the one-time World Cup winner was on March 29, 2011, with the equalizer scored by Asamoah Gyan.
Ghana and Africa’s highest-scoring player at the World Cup is currently providing massive motivation to the current crop of Black Stars players. He is vibing quite well with them.
In Ghana’s game against Panama, I observed a few things which I penned down in my previous article, which is available for your readership.
In this piece, I look at what we can do right against England on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at the Boston Stadium.
Panama was a tough test; the stats did not do us any favors. We managed a paltry 38% possession, 7 shots, and an xGOT of 1.04. We created just one big chance the whole game; even though it resulted in the goal, it was not enough.
Carlos Queiroz deployed Ati Zigi, Mensah, Jonas, Opoku, Senaya, Yirenkyi, Owusu, Sulemana, Semenyo, Nuamah, and Ayew, but there were tweaks in the course of the game.
READ MORE : Match Preview – Ghana vs England
The defense led by Jonas Adjetey and the others was unsung in the discharge of their duties as combined efforts to thwart the constant threats from the Panamanian attack. I know there were moments your tongue was cut in your mouth, and your heart raced beyond the normal BP rate of 120/80, but they have to brace themselves for an even tougher conquest in England.
This time, they have to be solid against an English attack led by Harry Kane, who has hit the ground running already. He scored two goals against Croatia and loves to increase his tally, with Benjamin Asare set to be given the nod to man the post for Ghana.
We did not see Thomas Partey partake in the opening game as a result of his visa denial by Canada, but his inclusion in the game against England is certainly coming at the right time and will provide the needed steel and solidity in midfield.
Caleb Yirenkyi has shown that he is a lad ready to take on the world. At 20-years, his energy and pace were evident and a constant threat for the Panama team; he would need to play levels above what he showed in the previous game.
The good thing is that the Black Stars forward men are not short of pace, trickery, and energy; if deployed well, they can terrorise any defense on a good day.
I hope Querioz selects the right men to do the job against an agile defensive partnership of John Stones and Marc Guehi.
This game has loads riding on it, a win for either teams would set them on the path of Round of 32, hopefully, the Black Stars shine bright against the three lions of England.
