England and Ghana are scoreless at halftime after strong World Cup starts

England and Ghana were level 0-0 at halftime in their World Cup Group 12 match at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, with no breakthrough after England’s opening win and Ghana’s upset of Panama. The game was officiated by Saeed Martins of Honduras.

England entered the match after a 4-2 victory over Croatia, and another win would secure a knockout-stage berth and likely first place in the group, provided England do not lose to Panama in the final round. Thomas Tuchel kept Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice in midfield and started Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane up front, while Bukayo Saka stayed on the bench after assisting off the bench in the previous match. Marc Guehi and Jed Spence also remained in defense.

Ghana came in after a dramatic 1-0 win over Panama and needed a stronger performance to spring an upset. Thomas Partey returned to midfield after missing the previous game in Canada because of a travel ban, and Benjamin Asare replaced the injured Lawrence Ati-Zigi in goal. Carlos Queiroz set Ghana up in a 4-3-3.

England controlled possession early but struggled to create clear chances. Reece James sent in a dangerous cross that caused confusion, but no one could finish, and Rice later fired a free kick over the bar. The match was still goalless after 14 minutes and continued without a goal at halftime. England now lead Group 12 with three points from one match, level with Ghana, while Panama and Croatia have yet to earn points. The next fixtures are on June 28 at midnight, Panama vs. England in New Jersey and Croatia vs. Ghana in Philadelphia.