Kane Misses Late Sitter as England Held by Ghana
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- Harry Kane skied a golden 86th-minute chance over the crossbar after Nico O'Reilly's header came back off the bar, telling the BBC he was 'waiting for an opportunity like that' and would 'back myself to score that more often than not.'
- England dominated statistically with a 19-1 shot advantage and 79% possession — the highest possession by any team that failed to score in a World Cup match in the past 60 years — but couldn't break down a Ghana side ranked 65th by FIFA, the lowest-ranked opponent England have faced at a major tournament in 30 years.
- Ghana earned their first point against England at a World Cup in nine meetings and moved to four points from two games, putting them in a strong position to reach the knockout rounds for the first time since their 2010 quarterfinal run.
- Thomas Tuchel's side, coming off a 4-2 opening win over Croatia in which Kane scored twice, will face Panama on Saturday needing at least a draw to guarantee progression to the round of 32.
- Ghana's best chance came in the 78th minute when Abdul Fatawu set up Prince Adu, who went down under a challenge from Ezri Konsa but saw no penalty given — an incident BBC Sport flagged as a potential 'anxious moment for England.'
Why it matters: England's failure to convert dominance into goals against the group stage's weakest side on paper keeps their knockout qualification alive going into the final group game against Panama, while Ghana's resilient point puts the 2010 quarterfinalists on the brink of a long-awaited return to the World Cup knockout rounds.
