Thomas Tuchel’s England escaped a late penalty scare after Ezri Konsa appeared to bring down Prince Adu in the box during a frustrating 0-0 draw against Ghana in Boston – a decision that left former players united in disbelief.
Replays showed Konsa catching Adu on the knee with no contact on the ball, but no spot-kick was given. Wayne Rooney, speaking on BBC One, was unequivocal. “I think that’s a penalty,” the former England striker said. “Konsa takes a huge risk. His feet are off the floor when he comes flying in and he gets the man, not the ball. That could easily have been given in my view.”
“England escape penalty controversy in stalemate with Ghana; Harry Kane misses late winner; Declan Rice limps off.”
Micah Richards agreed: “On another day, that could have been a penalty.” The video assistant referee did not intervene, a decision that former World Cup final assistant referee Darren Cann criticised. “Konsa makes absolutely no contact at all with the ball, he brings down his opponent,” Cann said. “For me this was a penalty kick.”
The lack of intervention stems from a higher threshold set by Fifa’s head of referees Pierluigi Collina, who wants consistency – fewer VAR reviews for tackles that might be given on the field.
England’s attacking frustrations were compounded by Tuchel’s reluctance to turn to his bench. Despite introducing Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers and Marcus Rashford, the manager kept Harry Kane on for the full 90 minutes, ignoring Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins. “Change Harry Kane in a game that is stuck and 0-0?!” Tuchel said. “Taking Harry off, no?”
Kane did have a late chance to snatch victory but fluffed his lines at the death, as Elliot Anderson impressed on an otherwise grim day for the Three Lions. The result leaves England with work to do ahead of their third group fixture against Panama.
An additional worry emerged after the match: midfielder Declan Rice was spotted limping, adding to ongoing fitness concerns that the Arsenal man has spoken openly about since arriving at the World Cup camp. Tuchel, when asked about potential changes for Panama, was blunt: “I have no idea. Panama is in four days.”