Thomas Tuchel has no clue how England missed a huge chance to score the winning goal against Ghana after they were held to a goalless draw at the FIFA World Cup.
Ghana putin an heroic defensive display in Foxborough, limiting the Three Lions to very few clear cut chances by staying narrow and keeping it tight at back. But whenever their opponents did manage to get a sight on goal, there was a man there ready to put his body on the line to stop them.
The Black Stars arguably should have had a penalty late in the game, too. Abdul Fatawu caught Eberechi Eze in possession and put Prince Adu through on goal, but he was stopped by a reckless challenge by Ezri Konsa. Instead of pointing to the spot, the referee blew his whistle for offside when Adu’s shot hit Antoine Semenyo.
The result is a reality check for England, who were buoyant after their impressive second-half performance against Croatia in their opening group stage win last week. Their lack of variation in attack was worrisome, although they still had a golden opportunity to win the game at the very end.
Substitute Nico O’Reilly connected with a Reece James cross from the right, guiding his header onto the bar. The rebound fell to the feet of Harry Kane in an ideal position to score the winner, but he blazed it over the bar.
“I was waiting all game for that kind of opportunity”
Harry Kane looks back at that missed chance after England’s 0-0 draw with Ghana…
Tuchel stumped as England miss glorious chance to beat Ghana
“Normally, a clear goal for us,” Tuchel said after the full-time whistle. “It’s a big chance and then another chance. It would’ve been deserved.
“We knew it would be difficult. They went even more defensive than in the first match; they defended in a 4-5-1. We found our intensity the longer the half went but we couldn’t get the reward.
“We were very good at defending the counter-attacks for most of the match. We have to pay a huge amount of attention to that. Subs were very good.”
When asked if he would change England’s plan when they take on Panama, Tuchel replied: “I have no idea. Panama is in four days.”
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