England 1 Ghana 1
ENGLAND:
Started: 9 Whites, 2 blacks
Finished: 8 Whites, 3 blacks
GHANA:
No breakdown required...
England fielded a "weakened" team, with the likes of Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, and John Terry absent.
Below arethe match reports from the BBC and ESPN Soccernet respectively. Both versions pile on the praise for the Africans, lauding their "positive approach" and "entertainment" - the implication being that the match would have otherwise inevitably been yet another boring, meaninglessfriendly if it happened to be contested by
two European sides. ESPN'seffort even includes allusions to Ghana's supposedlyeyecatching World Cup performances...
The BBC's headline photograph says it all. Instead of featuring Andrew Carroll's first England goal (documented in a smaller photo halfway down the page), we see a pile of sweating coal...
England 1-1 Ghana
Asamoah Gyan's injury-time equaliser deprived England of victory in a highly entertaining friendly against Ghana at Wembley.
Andy Carroll's first international goal just before the interval looked to have settled the game in favour of Fabio Capello's revamped England side before
Gyan gave Ghana a draw they fully deserved.
Ghana's vast and colourful support inside Wembley celebrated wildly as Gyan bamboozled England substitute Joleon Lescott, not for the first time, inside the area before clipping a composed finish beyond Joe Hart.
Liverpool's £35m striker Carroll still looked short of match fitness after a lengthy recent injury absence - but gave a glimpse of his rich potential when he rounded off a fine move with a powerful finish just before half-time.
Ghana, however, were a threat throughout and Gyan's goal was fitting reward for his tireless display and the Black Stars' ambitious attacking approach.
Dominic Adiyiah forced Hart into two fine saves in the first half, while Ashley Young should have scored for England when he drove a close-range effort against the bar from Stewart Downing's cross.
Despite fears that Capello's decision to make seven changes from the team that beat Wales in Saturday's Euro 2012 qualifier would take the edge of this friendly,
Wembley played host to a vibrant occasion that was given a game to match the atmosphere.
Capello will be disappointed that victory was cast aside so late, but England's coach can still take away plenty from the game, particularly Carroll opening his England goal account and accomplished performances from Young and Downing as he worked with a 4-3-3 formation once more.
And it was also a memorable night for Wolves winger Matt Jarvis and Danny Welbeck, on loan at Sunderland from Manchester United, as they made their England debuts in the second half.
Capello made the expected changes prior to kick-off, but the alterations did not affect the rhythm of a thrilling first half as both sides showed commendable attacking intent.
Ghana, urged forward by a huge following banked at one end of Wembley, were a constant threat and Adiyiah signalled their positive approach early on when he raced clear only to be thwarted by the advancing Hart.
England's response was swift, with Downing shooting well over from an angle and Young
forcing an athletic save from Ghana keeper Richard Kingson with a rising effort from 20 yards.
Sunderland's Gyan was the darling of the Ghana fans, but his ambition got the better of him when he tested Hart from in excess of 40 yards - a shot that carried plenty of power but was straight at the England keeper.
Young's enterprising start should have been rewarded with a goal after 24 minutes. He arrived perfectly on the end of a cross from Villa team-mate Downing but turned his shot against the bar with Kingson beaten.
Hart was England's saviour again when Adiyiah sent in a shot from Sulley Muntari's free-kick, sticking out a hand to make a fine reflex save to ensure Capello's side remained on terms.
Ghana were unhappy when England full-back Leighton Baines launched himself into a 50-50 challenge with Isaac Vorsah that left the Ghana player rolling in agony, but Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir kept his yellow card in his pocket.
As an end-to-end half somehow looked to be ending goalless, Carroll rounded off a slick passage of play to give England the lead. Young picked out Downing with precise pass and Carroll slammed a left-foot finish low past Kingson.
Capello made one change at half-time, sending on Lescott for Glen Johnson - and it was Ghana who made the early running after the break.
<DIV =audioInStoryC>
<DIV =audioInStoryC>Ghana's following almost got the goal they craved as the Black Stars threatened twice within second, England captain Gareth Barry deflecting John Pantsil's shot over the top and Jonathan Mensah heading the resulting corner just wide.
Carroll had given England an hour before he was replaced by Jermain Defoe and Capello later introduced two more debutants when Jarvis came on for Jack Wilshere and Welbeck replaced Young.
Welbeck was not afforded a warm reception by Ghana's followers after pledging his loyalty to England despite qualifying for the Africans.
They forgot their anger at Welbeck when the goal they had been waiting for arrived as the fourth official signalled the start of three minutes of added time.
Gyan's sleight of foot was all too much for Lescott and the striker rounded off a fine night's work with a goal that was greeted ecstatically by Ghana's fans.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/9438254.stm
Gyan nets late leveller
The friendly no-one wanted turned into the best of its kind since the new Wembley was opened in 2007 - and ended with gleeful Ghana racing to their fans in jubilation following Asamoah Gyan's last-minute leveller.
It was a goal the visitors deserved for their attacking approach and their willingness to play properly, rather than stroke the ball around in half-hearted manner as so often typifies these games.
Their supporters deserved it too. Twenty-thousand strong and making enough noise to match, even marking Danny Welbeck's England debut with deafening boos given he has rejected the chance to play for them.
But it spoiled Andy Carroll's night.
Twenty-four hours after being told to curb his drinking by Fabio Capello, Carroll should have been toasting his first England goal.
A Geordie who plays for Liverpool and wears the England number nine shirt has a pretty formidable legacy to live up to.
And what a start he has made thanks to a pinpoint first-time finish to a well crafted move.
But Ghana were not to be denied, which just made the accepted truth that has grown around England's World Cup campaign even more of a myth.
Aside from the goal that never was in that fateful last-16 tie with Germany, the moment that shaped the Three Lions' time in South Africa actually occurred in a game they did not feature in.
Up until Landon Donovan's stoppage-time strike for the United States against Algeria, England were set for a meeting with Ghana and a direct route through to the semi-finals such was the perceived ease of the draw.
That view underestimated Ghana's abilities somewhat, as they eventually proved.
Despite keeping the same formation that served him so well against Wales, Capello discovered stand-in skipper Gareth Barry did not have as much success in keeping Ghana at arm's length as Scott Parker had done at the Millennium Stadium.
Gyan tested Joe Hart with a thunderous 40-yard drive, then got behind Phil Jagielka but failed to beat the England keeper from rather closer.
Hart nearly gifted the visitors a goal when he presented the ball to Gyan on the edge of the area with a misdirected clearance, only to save himself embarrassment by barring the Sunderland striker's route to goal until reinforcements arrived.
He deserved that bit of fortune, though, having already turned away Dominic Adiyiah's goal-bound header with a splendid one-handed reaction save that required agility as well as skill on the basis Hart had been moving in the wrong direction as Sulley Muntari's far-post free-kick arrived.
Yet England were far from outplayed.
Despite the pre-match moans about players not here, those who were largely excelled.
Ashley Young in particular has enjoyed an excellent year as an England player, even if he will not want to watch any replays of the moment he slid forward to reach James Milner's low cross but turned it onto the bar even though the goal was gaping.
Stewart Downing started that move, part of a man-of-the-match display, and the Aston Villa man should have scored himself in the opening minutes when he raced onto Milner's through ball, only to screw his shot badly wide.
Young's fiercely struck effort fizzed over the bar too in those breathless opening stages.
Indeed, as the first half drew to its conclusion, the only English offensive player who had not impressed was Carroll.
Much is expected of the young man with the £35million price tag even though it was only his second international appearance.
But he struggled to get himself in the right place at the right time, moving towards the far post when he should have been at the near and dropping back for a pass when the requirement was to go forward.
As it has always been with strikers, though, the currency by which they are judged is the number of times they find the net.
So, when Young clipped an excellent pass to the edge of the area and Downing's attempt to control succeeded in prodding it straight into his path, Carroll seized on the opening and found the bottom corner with deadly accuracy.
And, as Carroll did little after the break of note until he was replaced by Jermain Defoe just before the hour, that was it.
He left the field to a standing ovation, though - his job done, the aura around him beginning to grow.
The entertainment continued - Young's curling shot just wide at one end, Barry's brave block to a John Pantsil effort at the other, Jonathan Mensah sending a free header from the corner disappointingly wide, a fingertip save from Richard Kingson to deny James Milner, Gyan thrashing a shot into the side-netting.
England were within touching distance of victory when Gyan slalomed through their defence and equalised.
After missing the penalty that would have given Africa its first World Cup semi-finalists nine months ago, no-one can begrudge him that.
Source:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/313786?cc=3436
