Ghanaian goalkeeper Benjamin Asare made history by keeping a clean sheet against England at the World Cup. The Hearts of Oak keeper became the first Ghana Premier League player to start a World Cup match for the Black Stars.
Benjamin Asare made history as the first Ghana Premier League goalkeeper to start a FIFA World Cup match.
The Hearts of Oak keeper kept a clean sheet against England, one of the tournament favorites.
Asare, 33, has built his entire football career on home soil in Ghana.
He was the only home-based player in Ghana's final 26-man World Cup squad.
Hearts of Oak keeper makes history with World Cup clean sheet against England
Benjamin Asare has etched his name into Ghanaian football history, becoming the first goalkeeper from the Ghana Premier League to start a FIFA World Cup match for the Black Stars — and he marked the occasion by shutting out one of the tournament favourites. The 33-year-old plays for Accra Hearts of Oak, one of the most storied clubs in Ghanaian football. Unlike the England players he faced on Monday — whose squad is stacked with stars from the Premier League and Europe's elite competitions — Asare has built his entire career on home soil. During the 2024–25 season he emerged as one of the standout goalkeepers in the Ghana Premier League, keeping 12 clean sheets in 18 league matches. That consistency earned him a place in Carlos Queiroz's World Cup squad — the only home-based player in Ghana's final 26-man group.Against England in Boston, he was equal to everything Thomas Tuchel's side could throw at him. Saka was denied, O'Reilly struck the crossbar, and Kane somehow blasted the rebound over — it simply wasn't England's night.The 33-year-old not only made his World Cup debut against Panama but kept a clean sheet, and he has now done it again against England — a memorable and symbolic moment for domestic football in Ghana.