Second match syndrome hit England hard in a lackluster draw against Ghana

After some attacking and proactive football in Croatia, England turned into reality as second leg syndrome hit Thomas Tuchel’s side hard in Boston during their goalless draw against Ghana. Since the 2018 World Cup, England have failed to win any of their second matches in major competitions.

They were held to a draw by Scotland at Euro 2020 and another tie against the USA at the 2022 World Cup. Euro 2024 was also the same story. When Tuchel came in, one of the things he had to avoid was the mistakes of the Gareth Southgate era. But the Three Lions were drawn into making the same mistakes as they failed to break down the Black Stars’ low block set-up.

They continued to frustrate England with brave defending and gave them a few scares at the other end. In the end, the stats showed that England had 19 shots with three on target, while Ghana had just one. Possession was heavily tilted in England’s favor with 78 per cent to their name.

Yet in the end, England put in a performance that was stunning given the talent at their disposal.

More to follow….

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Published on:

Jun 24, 2026 03:38 IST