Rooney Hails Ghana’s ‘Excellent’ Display After World Cup Draw With England

Former England striker Wayne Rooney has praised Ghana’s disciplined performance after the Black Stars frustrated England in a goalless draw at the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday.

England dominated possession in their second Group L fixture but found it difficult to break down a well-organised Ghana side that defended resolutely throughout the match.

The Three Lions, managed by Thomas Tuchel, had to wait until the 57th minute before registering their first shot on target.

Tuchel made two changes to the side that defeated Croatia 4-2 in Dallas, handing starts to Marc Guéhi and Djed Spence in place of John Stones and Nico O’Reilly. As England searched for a breakthrough, the German coach introduced O’Reilly, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers and Marcus Rashford from the bench.

England came closest to scoring when O’Reilly’s header crashed against the crossbar, before Harry Kane fired the rebound over the bar from close range.

Despite England’s late pressure, Rooney reserved special praise for Ghana and coach Carlos Queiroz.

“You have to break them down, find the space. For me the key was getting crosses into the box, that’s where the chances came from,” Rooney told ESPN.

“They didn’t get enough crosses in but that is a typical [Ghana coach] Carlos Queiroz performance.

“Ghana were excellent, disciplined, [showed] concentration [in] how they defended. You have to give them a lot of praise.”

The point could prove crucial for Ghana as they prepare for a decisive final Group L clash against Croatia on Saturday.

Croatia boosted their qualification hopes earlier by beating Panama 1-0, recovering from their opening defeat to England and setting up a high-stakes encounter with the Black Stars.