England were left counting their blessings after a controversial VAR decision denied Ghana a penalty in their 0-0 World Cup Group L draw in Boston – a call that could have derailed their tournament. With 11 minutes left, Ezri Konsa launched himself into a desperate challenge on Prince Kwabena Adu inside the area. The Aston Villa defender made no contact with the ball, bringing down the Ghanaian forward. Referee Said Martinez waved play on, and VAR chose not to intervene, leaving the England bench and fans breathing a sigh of relief.
“I agree, we had our hearts in our mouths when we saw Ezri Konsa make that challenge,” said former Premier League official Darren Cann, speaking on BBC coverage. “First and foremost, as an England fan, I’m absolutely delighted that it wasn’t given, but I have to be honest, for me, this should have been referred to the referee. Konsa makes no contact with the ball, he brings down his opponent. He’s airborne, he’s out of control, he makes contact with the attacker, and no contact with the ball. For me, this is a penalty kick.”
“England survived a VAR penalty scare as Konsa's challenge on Adu went unpunished in a 0-0 World Cup draw.”
Cann noted that the tournament had already seen seven penalties awarded, and expressed relief that an eighth was avoided. BBC presenter Gabby Logan admitted the studio was surprised at the lack of an on-field review. Cann suggested VAR’s reluctance to overturn on-field decisions this World Cup spared England. “In this tournament, most of the time, they’ve gone with the onfield decision,” he said. “We had one last night with the Argentina game where it was overturned, but the general thrust of the tournament is they will stick with the onfield decision unless it’s clearly, clearly wrong.”
The draw leaves England with work to do after a frustrating performance. Thomas Tuchel’s side struggled to breach a disciplined Ghana defence, creating few clear chances. Harry Kane fluffed a late opportunity, sealing a point that felt more fortunate than earned. “Credit to them. I rarely saw a physical performance like that from a team,” Tuchel said. “They defended with 10 players in a deep, deep block, so made it difficult for us because they were very disciplined and very physical on every position.”
With one group game remaining, the Three Lions must sharpen their attack – and hope VAR continues to smile on them.