England made it two wins from two in their December friendly double-header, labouring to a hard-fought 2-0 victory over a stubborn Ghana side in the first ever encounter between the two teams.
The match formed part of both nations’ preparations for their upcoming major international assignments.
The Lionesses, fresh from an 8-0 demolition of China at Wembley days earlier, took just six minutes to open the scoring. Chloe Kelly’s low cross caused panic in the Ghana defence, debutant Bénédicte Simon failed to clear, and Lucia Kendall pounced on the loose ball to fire home her maiden senior England goal in front of a delighted Southampton crowd – the city where she honed her skills.
Captain for the night Keira Walsh dictated play as England monopolised possession and territory. Chances came thick and fast: Kelly volleyed over from Walsh’s delivery, Cynthia Conlan thwarted Missy Bo Kearns, and Aggie Beever-Jones was denied after a deflection. Kendall nearly doubled the lead just before the break, thumping a header against the crossbar from a corner.
Chloe Kelly’s evening lasted only 23 minutes before injury forced her off, Beth Mead replacing her, but the one-way traffic continued. Ghana, offering far sterner defensive resistance than China had, dug in resolutely.
The second half saw the same pattern. Substitute Lauren Hemp headed over when unmarked and both she and Grace Hinds sent teasing crosses inches from danger.
Deep into stoppage time the breakthrough finally arrived: Alessia Russo’s header from a goalmouth scramble was blocked by the arm of Comfort Yeboah. VAR confirmed the offence and Russo calmly stroked home the penalty to make it 2-0.
Key Stats
Possession: England 73.1% – 26.9% Ghana
Shots: England 24 – 3 Ghana
Shots on target: England 10 – 1 Ghana
Corners: England 9 – 0 Ghana
Fouls conceded: England 11 – 10 Ghana
A professional victory for Sarina Wiegman’s rotated side, with Lucia Kendall’s fairytale first England goal the standout moment in a historic first meeting between the Lionesses and the Black Queens.