Rashford: England must take intensity to a level Ghana cannot live with

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Marcus Rashford is confident Ghana will not be able to live with England if they play at a high intensity in their second World Cup match on Tuesday.

After claiming a dramatic 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening Group L game last week, the Three Lions face Ghana – who also have three points on the board after defeating Panama 1-0 – on matchday two.

A victory would seal England’s place in the knockout rounds and, provided Croatia avoid defeat against Panama, it could also confirm their status as group winners with a game to spare.

Rashford was on the scoresheet against Croatia, stepping infield before slotting into the far corner to cap a deadly 85th-minute counter-attack and make certain of the three points. 

Rashford, who replaced Anthony Gordon off the bench in the 72nd minute, was assisted by fellow substitute Bukayo Saka – making it just the second England goal at a World Cup to be both scored and assisted by substitutes, after Jack Grealish’s goal versus Iran in 2022 (assisted by Callum Wilson).

England are now looking to win their opening two games at a World Cup for the fourth time, after completing the feat in 1982, 2006 and 2018, and Rashford believes that if they concentrate on their own performance in Boston, they will emerge victorious.

“I think we have to bring an intensity that they can’t live with and we try to stick to that,” the forward told the Football Association’s media channels. 

“If we can play at that level, it can win you games. The one thing we can predict is how we conduct ourselves over 90 minutes or 120 minutes.

“So, I think we just have to focus on that as players. We just have to keep pushing ourselves. We’re definitely capable.”

Marcus shares his excitement for this summer 

— England (@England) June 21, 2026

Rashford could be a contender to come into England’s lineup if Thomas Tuchel opts to make changes, with the German having a fully fit squad to choose from after all 26 players trained on Monday.

While the competition in England’s ranks is fierce, Rashford knows everyone will get chances to impress as the tournament progresses. 

“We’re one team and we have to fight for each other in the exact same way that you fight for your club teams,” Rashford said. “That’s the norm now.

“We understand it’s difficult because everybody wants to play and a lot of players deserve to play. At some point, players are going to be disappointed, but it’s about how you handle it.”

England are unbeaten against African teams at the World Cup – in their eight previous such matches, they have won five and drawn three. 

Ghana will be England’s eighth different African opponent at the World Cup, after Morocco, Egypt, Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, Algeria and Senegal, which is more than any other nation.

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