India, June 24 -- Five years ago, Benjamin Asare was asked to consider retirement after an ankle injury had kept him out for 18 months. Had he not listened to his heart that day, Ghana wouldn't have been able to pull off a 0-0 draw against England on Tuesday.

Only four African nations before Ghana have kept clean sheets in their first two World Cup matches - Cameroon (1982), Morocco (1986 and 2022), and Nigeria (2014). And to think of it, Asare wasn't even considered for the national team until last March, following a forgettable African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

Ghana's plan against England was ridiculously simple. "Our plan was to block and frustrate them from the first minute," Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said. "We did it."...