Despite being ranked 39 places behind Panama in 73rd on the official FIFA rankings, Ghana's Black Stars were the favourites going into their World Cup opening game against the Central Americans.
The West Africans laboured and suffered for long stretches of the game, and were particularly fortunate to come away with a lone goal victory, helped in part by coach Carlos Queiroz's tactical tweaks and the determination of the Africans.
Ghana's troubles resulted from personnel choices, and also from tactical missteps, and players just having an off day when they needed to step up.
All of these are things that Queiroz will have to find solutions to with group and tournament favourites England coming up next.
Ghana and England have met only once before at senior level - a 1-1 friendly draw at Wembley in March 2011. Tuesday's match marks their first competitive meeting.
Here are a few suggestions for Queiroz to ensure success.
Resolve the Jordan Ayew dilemma
Ayew presents a particular dilemma for Queiroz. Apart from being the most experienced player in the squad, Ayew is is also the captain and leader of the group.
Over a century of caps brings innate knowledge of the team, experience at the highest levels, along with the sort of institutional knowledge and gravitas that comes from being the son of the legendary Abedi Pele.
When he led the team out against Panama, Ayew became one of only four Ghanaian players to feature at three World Cup tournaments after previously playing in 2014 and 2022.
And yet, there have been calls for Ayew to be dropped against England. And for good reason.
Against Panama, for all his experience, Ayew looked out of place for most of the game. His lack of pace was brutally exposed, and even when he did get on the ball, some of his decision-making was poor.
In one sequence he received a pass from Antoine Semenyo with space in front of him. As the Manchester City forward made a run towards goal, Ayew had time, opportunity and space to find Semenyo. Instead, he dribbled his way into traffic and turned the ball over.
While the Black Stars failed to score for most of the game against Panama, they were not punished. England will not be so forgiving.
A slow centre forward will be exposed by the England defence. Ayew's potential replacement up front, Brandon Thomas-Asante, who set up Caleb Yirenkyi's winner may be quick, but he does not have the same experience, and even though he plays in England, is yet to face the superstars that England will bring to the party.
Ayew's experience will still be valuable. The question for Quieroz is how to solve the Ayew problem. Leaving him on the bench may not be ideal - strong leadership is needed in games like this. Starting him as the lead striker is also out of the question.
The best solution, then, would be to have Ayew sit in the advanced midfield role, where he can control traffic, link midfield and attack and get in a position to attack open spaces in front of the defence, where his lack of pace would not be too much of an issue.
Against Panama, much of Ghana's positive attacking work came when Ayew dropped deeper and linked play rather than trying to stretch defences with pace.
Ayew's intelligence between the lines can create opportunities for runners.
A front line featuring Ayew underneath Semenyo and either Thomas-Asante Fatawu would allow Ghana to attack England's weaker defensive areas with pace rather than asking him to outrun defenders.
Reinstate Thomas Partey
Partey should walk back into the first team. To be fair, that may not have been the case if Elisha Owusu had not been so overwhelmed by the Panama midfield. Although, in fairness to the lad, the team's shape in the first half did not help.
Partey should be expected to line up alongside the impressive youngster Caleb Yirenkyi. England's midfield is world class, and they showed that in their opening game, annihilating Croatia 4-2. England boast an elite midfield with Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.
With Partey, rather than being reactive and chasing shadows, Ghana can actually control periods of possession rather than merely trying to survive them.
Both Partey and Yirenkyi can sit in midfield and limit England's midfielders from driving through while also forcing Rice to defend more than he attacks. This will free Ayew to link up the lines between midfield and forwards.
Target England weaknesses
England won against Croatia, but they did allow two goals and it could have been more. One of the biggest takeaways from that game was how exposed the Three Lions looked defensively on the flanks.
Reece James came under some fire for losing his marker on one Croatian goal, while left back Nico O'Reilly was described as "a work in progress" defensively despite his attacking contributions.
This is where Semenyo, Thomas-Asante, Abdul Fatawu and Ernest Nuamah can hurt England.
Semenyo's direct running and physicality could force England's fullbacks into one-on-one situations. Thomas-Asante's pace and physicality can cause all sorts of problems. Fatawu's ability to attack defenders from wide areas could also stretch England's back line.
Croatia caused problems whenever they attacked England quickly before the defence could get organised. Ghana should try do the same. They have the pace, they have the craft and they have the physicality to make it work.
Start on a high tempo
Ghana spent much of the game against Panama on the back foot.
For much of the first hour, the Central Americans controlled possession, created better chances and forced Ghana into a reactive game.
The Black Stars really only took control after Queiroz altered the structure, by sending Semenyo into the middle to stabilise things and then made key substitutions to increase the intensity of the press in the second half.
That slow approach is unlikely to work against Thomas Tuchel's side.
The Three Lions looked vulnerable when Croatia pressed them aggressively in the first half and forced mistakes in midfield and defence. Croatia scored twice and repeatedly exposed England's shape before halftime.
England scored twice in the first half against Croatia. If Ghana sit back like they did against Panama, there will be no grace period. Harry Kane and company will punish them and likely put the game beyond reach before they have a change to make adjustments.
The Black Stars need to begin with the same intensity they showed after the break against Panama and keep it up for as long as they can. Ultimately, they need to turn this into a war of attrition, and make life as uncomfortable as possible for England.
Watch out for and defend set pieces
England had the highest non-penalty expected goals and most shots on target from set-piece situations of any team on the World Cup's opening matchday, and Kane's second goal against Croatia came from an unmarked header off a Rice corner.
Whether Lawrence Ati-Zigi or Benjamin Asare starts in goal, given uncertainty over Ati-Zigi's fitness after he was substituted at halftime against Panama following a first-half collision, Ghana cannot afford to lose a marker on a corner or free kick.
Queiroz set the tone for the challenge ahead in his post-match comments after the Panama win. "We have to suffer; there is no other way," he told reporters, adding that a result at this World Cup "is very expensive" and that his players are ready to pay that price.
To do this, Ghana must start by first avoiding giving up set pieces in front of the box. That means not allowing the holes in those central defensive areas that they did against Panama. This is why Partey is important.
Additionally, giving away penalty kicks is a no-no. But in the event that they do, the goalkeepers must be aware of Kane's mind games in his penalty kicks run-up. The England striker has studied the goalkeepers. Asare and Ati Zigi should return the favour.