‘Ghana is a difficult team to play against’ – England head coach

*England 0-0 Ghana

*Thomas Tuchel praises Ghana

*Ghana will face Croatia in the final game of the group

On paper, it looked like it was going to be a walk in the park for England, considering how the teams have prepared in the last 12 months.

The Three Lions, led by German tactician Thomas Tuchel was impeccable during the qualifiers. They opened their campaign with a 4-2 win over Croatia, where they made them look so ordinary with their attacking prowess.

Ghana, however, had been blowing hot and cold during the home stretch of the qualifiers. The Black Stars lost four straight friendly games leading to the sacking of head coach Otto Addo.

Carlos Quieroz replaced the former Dortmund midfielder as the new coach for Ghana with just three months to commence the competition. In his first game on June 2nd in Wales, Ghana drew 1-1 against Wales. Nothing showed that the team was going to do well. Fast forward, Ghana commenced their campaign with a 1-0 win over Panama and held one of the tournament’s favourites, England, to a goalless draw.

Coach of England, Thomas Tuchel, was in full praise for the Black Stars after the game.

“I think [Ghana are] a difficult team to play against with a lot of quality and very, very physical fight.

He added, “They’re fast on every position, ready to put bodies in, ready to defend one against one. Super difficult to break them down in one against ones too, to have superiority in certain spaces.

“It’s just what it is. That’s, of course, a reality check, but not one of us thought that there’s an easy match ahead of us, Tuchel concluded.

Ghana, alongside England, have qualified for the next stage of the competition with a fight for the top spot now in their sights. Croatia defeated Panama and will need a draw against Ghana to mathematically qualify. England will finish their group stage campaign with a fixture against Panama, where they will look forward to finishing them and top the group.