England vs Ghana LIVE: Team news, flag issue and racism apology as Three Lions eye World Cup knockouts

A win for either England or Ghana this evening will ensure top spot in Group L and with it a place in the World Cup knockout stages. While England are heavy favourites, Ghana’s star man Antoine Semenyo will certainly have his say on the matter.

Semenyo, who joined Manchester City from Bournemouth for £64m this January, enjoyed a stellar season last term as he helped Pep Guardiola’s side win a domestic double of the FA and League Cup, with Semenyo scoring the winner in the former.

Rejected by a number of clubs several times as a youngster, Semenyo’s first senior start in men’s football came at the age of 18 for Bath City against Welton Rovers in a Somerset Premier Cup tie. The teenager responded with a hat-trick and, as Jerry Gill – Bath City’s manager at the time – says: “the rest is history.”

Gill, speaking to Manchester Evening News, admits he didn’t see Semenyo turning out for one of the biggest clubs in European football, but felt there was a player who could progress to the top level.

Well, Semenyo has certainly done just that, and the 26-year-old looks as though he was born to play on the big stage, despite his far from conventional route to the top of the game. Ghana will certainly be looking to lean on Semenyo’s brilliance this evening, as the Black Stars face an in-form England side in a crucial Group L match in Boston this evening.

By Raff Tindale