Andy Carroll scored his first goal for England, but Asamoah Gyan snatched a late leveller for Ghana in a thrilling 1-1 draw at Wembley.

Carroll opens his account, as Jarvis and Welbeck make debuts

Andy Carroll scored his first goal for England, but Asamoah Gyan snatched a late leveller for Ghana in a 1-1 draw at Wembley. With over 21,000 Ghanaians helping to generate a carnival atmosphere, a lively friendly encounter looked to have been settled two minutes before the interval when Liverpool's £35million frontman opened his international account. Gyan, though, was to have the last word as he skipped between a stationary Three Lions back four in stoppage-time to ensure that the visitors left with something to show for their efforts. Both sides wasted golden opportunities to break the deadlock in the opening 45 minutes, with Dominic Adiyah denied on two occasions by smart stops from Joe Hart and Ashley Young somehow turning the ball onto the crossbar from three yards out. Carroll made no mistake, though, on 43 minutes as he drilled low into the bottom corner following clever combination play between Young and Aston Villa team-mate Stewart Downing. Chances continued to come and go at both ends after the interval, with Young seeing a curling effort tipped behind by Richard Kingson and Gyan firing into the side-netting after beating the offside trap. Matt Jarvis was then given his big moment, with the winger becoming the first Wolves player to represent England since Steve Bull as he came on for the last 20 minutes. Danny Welbeck became the second England debutant of the night on 81 minutes, ending any hope Ghana had of luring the promising frontman away from the Three Lions. He would have been confident of ending the game on the winning side as time ticked down, but a moment of individual brilliance from Sunderland striker Gyan in the dying seconds helped the Black Stars to claim a deserved draw.

Jubilation

The friendly no-one wanted turned into the best of its kind since the new Wembley was opened in 2007 - and ended with gleeful Ghana racing to their fans in jubilation following a last-minute leveller. It was a goal the visitors deserved for their attacking approach and their willingness to play properly, rather than stroke the ball around in half-hearted manner as so often typifies these games. Their supporters deserved it too. Twenty-one thousand strong and making enough noise to match, even marking Welbeck's England debut with deafening boos given he has rejected the chance to play for them. But it spoiled Carroll's night. Twenty-four hours after being told to curb his drinking by Fabio Capello, Carroll should have been toasting his first England goal. A Geordie who plays for Liverpool and wears the England number nine shirt has a pretty formidable legacy to live up to. And what a start he has made thanks to a pinpoint first-time finish to a well crafted move. But Ghana were not to be denied, which just made the accepted truth that has grown around England's World Cup campaign even more of a myth. Aside from the goal that never was in that fateful last-16 tie with Germany, the moment that shaped the Three Lions' time in South Africa actually occurred in a game they did not feature in. Up until Landon Donovan's stoppage-time strike for the United States against Algeria, England were set for a meeting with Ghana and a direct route through to the semi-finals such was the perceived ease of the draw.

Underestimated

That view underestimated Ghana's abilities somewhat, as they