Black Stars' stunning display against England on Tuesday, June 23, has earned them widespread praise from both the local and global community.

Adding his voice is Man Utd’s all-time leading goal scorer, Wayne Rooney, who has described the team’s performance against the Three Lions last night as excellent, citing the coach’s tactical prowess.

Ahead of the Ghana-England clash, several predictions topped England to win against with few to no predictions on a stalemate, but the Black Stars secured a resilient 0-0 against its opponent in their Group L clash at the Boston Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Speaking on the BBC, Rooney highlighted England’s difficulty in breaking down deep defensive blocks while also crediting Ghana’s structure and discipline.

“You’re always hoping for that energy and that performance that we had against Croatia in the second half. These games are so difficult when the teams sit back,” the former Manchester United striker said.

“You have to break them down, and you have to find the space. For me, the key was getting crosses into the box. That is where all the chances came from. That was a typical Carlos Queiroz performance. Ghana were excellent, and they were disciplined,” he added.

Both Ghana and England won their opener with hopes of securing some points to proceed to the round of 32; however, the game ended with both sides sharing points, and England players admitting to having a tough time with the Black Stars' compact defence.

England dominated long spells of possession and ended the contest with 79 per cent of the ball, the highest recorded by any team that failed to score in a World Cup match in six decades, yet they were repeatedly denied by a well-organised Black Stars defence.

England will now prepare for their meeting with Panama, while Ghana face a decisive clash against Croatia as qualification for the knockout stage hangs in the balance.

Declan Rice admits to tough game after Ghana match

Speaking after the match, England midfielder Declan Rice applauded Ghana’s defensive performance. According to him, despite his side enjoying possession, none of them was able to find the back of the net due to the Black Stars' “compact” defensive block until the final whistle.

“It is the second clean sheet for the Black Stars, having kept Panama at bay in their opener. It's always difficult when you play against eleven behind the ball. Give credit to Ghana, they were very compact. It was tough. They are good players”, Rice admitted.

However, he remained optimistic that his side would finish atop the group to proceed to the next stage.

"We keep going, we still have a great chance of finishing top of the group. There's no need to be negative; we need to stay positive", he noted.

About the game

In the first half, England controlled the tempo from the start, stringing together 343 passes compared to Ghana’s 99. Declan Rice came closest early on, curling a free‑kick over the bar in the 14th minute. Despite the pressure, Ghana’s compact defensive shape kept England from creating clear‑cut chances.

The Black Stars sat deep, absorbing wave after wave of attacks, and went into the break level at 0–0.

The Black Stars came with a different energy in the second half, securing their first shot in the 50th minute. Six minutes later, Anthony Gordon tested goalkeeper Benjamin Asare, who produced a sharp save to keep the scoreline intact.

The Black Stars nearly stunned England in the 80th minute when Abdul Fatawu broke through the defense, but his effort was inadvertently blocked on the line by teammate Antoine Semenyo.

England responded with late pressure, and in the 87th minute Nico O’Reilly’s header rattled the crossbar. The rebound fell to Harry Kane, but the captain blasted over from close range, summing up England’s frustrating evening.