England followed its opening 4-2 win over Croatia with a frustrating 0-0 draw against Ghana, and the performance quickly drew sharp criticism. British coverage described England as lacking inspiration, creativity and energy, while one headline called it another difficult group-stage showing for the team in a major tournament.
The Athletic said England had produced “another hard performance in the group stage of a big tournament, one that will be added to England’s collection,” adding that the side struggled against a disciplined and determined Ghana. Journalist Henry Winter wrote, “We were not expecting a tea party in Boston,” and added that England lacked imagination, a touch of magic and a finishing touch, while Ghana defended superbly.
Harry Kane, who had a quiet game and missed a big chance at the end, said England were not at their best. “It’s a game you come away from thinking we could have won, but we didn’t do it,” he said, adding that England would take the draw and move on to the match against Panama. He said he normally scores chances like that, but “games like this happen.”
Declan Rice said it was hard to play against “11 players behind the ball,” and that England only found solutions in the final 10 minutes, when they were unlucky not to score. He credited Ghana for being compact and denying space, and urged calm: “There’s no need to be negative. We will recover for the next game.” Thomas Tuchel echoed that view, saying Ghana was even more defensive than in its first match and that without an early goal, the game became one of patience. He praised the substitutes and said that if the final chance had fallen, it should have fallen to Kane.
