Ross Kemp says England game ‘could have been a lot worse’
By Pierra Willix and Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association
Ross Kemp has said England’s game against Ghana “could have been a lot worse” and urged fans to “get behind the team”.
The EastEnders star, 61, told fans to “believe” in the men’s national football team following the goalless draw at Boston Stadium on Tuesday night.
Posting on his Instagram story after the match, Kemp said: “It could have been a lot worse and let’s get behind the team.
“Let’s, let’s just say, how proud we are of them. That Ghana team played out of their skin.”
England will face Panama next in a match on Saturday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Kemp added: “We could have had three or four goals towards the end and we have to be positive, and we have to make sure we beat Panama by a lot of goals to make sure we’re definitely going to win that group, because we need to win it.
“We got to want it and we’ve got to believe and I believe we can do it.”
Other stars showing support for the men’s team included rapper Stormzy, real name Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr.
The rapper, 32, was born and raised in the UK, but his mother is Ghanaian – and he told BBC Sport before kick-off that he was backing both teams and hoping for a draw.
He said: “I’m a Ghana boy, so this is beautiful.
“Everyone keeps asking me, ‘Who are you rooting for?’, and I’m like, ‘I’ll be honest, a nice 1-1 draw’.”
He added: “Ghana, we need the points more than England need the points. But it’s just beautiful. It’s obviously both my heritages, so it’s a beautiful day for me.”
Following the game, he shared a series of snaps from inside the stadium, including posing holding the ball and being interviewed.
He captioned the post: “Now for England to slap 3 or 4 past Panama and for Ghana to nick points against Croatia and we move forward!
“Grateful to of been part of a game that means a lot to me.”
Ahead of the game, several celebrities were spotted in the stands, with some also posting on social media.
Mumford & Sons frontman Marcus Mumford shared a selfie on Instagram wearing the England jersey and was later spotted alongside his bandmates watching the match.
A night earlier they had played a concert at Fenway Park in Boston.
Also in attendance was David Beckham, who was snapped by American actress Alexandra Daddario.
Posting on Instagram, The White Lotus star posed for a selfie positioning David Beckham – who was in the stand above her – in the shot.
Daddario – who was wearing an England jersey and cap – managed to get his attention, with Beckham smiling and giving her a thumbs-up.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Clarkson also gave away tickets to the game, posting on X: “I have two tickets for the England game in Boston this afternoon. Anyone want them?”
After they were claimed, he later also shared a photo from the game, showing a small bit of sunlight through the clouds and jokingly writing: “Now I see why they need a hydration break.”
