Harry Kane fluffed his lines at the death, firing over from close range as England were held to a goalless draw by a resolute Ghana at Boston Stadium. The miss capped a frustrating night for Thomas Tuchel's side, who dominated possession with 78.8% but managed only three shots on target from 19 attempts.
Jude Bellingham, earning his 50th cap and named man of the match, was blunt about the recurring pattern. “It was very frustrating, like second-game fever, the same as always with us,” he said. “It feels like in all the tournaments I've been to, it's been the same, a decent performance to start, and a good win. And then just the second one, frustrated a little bit with how they defended, how they set up.” It was the fourth successive tournament in which England have drawn their second group game—and the third 0-0 after Scotland at Euro 2020 and the USA at the 2022 World Cup.
“England draw 0-0 with Ghana as Bellingham brands it 'second-game fever' again.”
Tuchel admitted he “saw it coming” after the 0-0 stalemate. “I knew that this could be a difficult game,” he told the BBC. “I've hardly seen a team defend so physically and committed like Ghana did. It was difficult to break them down.” He added that Ghana were “dangerous in the wide areas” despite only two counter-attacks. The German insisted he was “not frustrated”, noting his side “couldn't get it over the line”.
In the stands, David Beckham looked on with head in hands, while England fans who had been drinking Boston dry were booted out of bars at 10pm by police. No arrests were reported, but there were tongue-in-cheek clashes with Scotland fans. Jeremy Clarkson gave away two free tickets to fans from Selby, telling The Sun: “I didn't fancy getting soaked at my first England World Cup game so I decided to treat someone without tickets.” Glenn Hawkins, 61, who has spent £30,000 following England with his two children, said: “There's something special happening for sure.”
The draw leaves England top of Group L, level on four points with Ghana but ahead on goal difference. They face Panama in New Jersey on Saturday needing a convincing win to secure knockout qualification.