England fans heading to pubs to watch the Three Lions’ goalless draw with Ghana were left unable to buy drinks after a major payment outage forced businesses to switch to cash-only – while midfield star Declan Rice sparked fears he could miss Saturday’s World Cup showdown with Panama.
The disruption hit major payment processing company Worldpay, leaving thirsty supporters at a loss as Thomas Tuchel’s side laboured to a 0-0 stalemate in their Group L clash in Boston. The result came after a promising 4-2 win over Croatia last week, but Ghana’s stubborn defence, marshalled by boss Carlos Queiroz, kept England at bay.
“England fans faced cash-only pubs and Declan Rice limped off with calf strapping after a 0-0 draw with Ghana.”
Off the pitch, Rice’s fitness became the immediate concern. The 27-year-old Arsenal midfielder was spotted heading through the mixed zone with heavy strapping on his left calf and walking with a noticeable limp. It follows his admission after the Croatia match that he had been secretly managing a hamstring problem for six months.
“I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time,” Rice said. “Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind the scenes stuff. That last twenty minutes is where you really feel your body going through it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
If Rice is ruled out, England chief Thomas Tuchel could hand an opportunity to Kobbie Mainoo or Jordan Henderson to come into the starting line-up against Panama on Saturday.