Ghana shut out England and the World Cup takes notice

England 0–0 Ghana: your team shut them down

Ghana held England to a goalless draw on Tuesday, and it was not luck. It was a defensive wall (1) (2). Thomas Tuchel called it one of the most disciplined displays he has ever seen from an opponent. Benjamin Asare kept a clean sheet against Harry Kane. England had the ball, the names, the expectations, and nothing to show for it.

Declan Rice gave your team its due afterwards. "Give credit to Ghana, they were very compact. It was tough. They are good players," he said (3).

Harry Kane missed a chance he normally buries. He spoke about it after the match, but the result stands (10).

Jurgen Klopp, watching from the sidelines of his own world, summed up the mood from the England side: "Thomas Tuchel is an outstanding coach. Outstanding coaches sometimes have a draw. That's crazy, huh? Yeah, it's crazy!" (1)

Ghana now have four points from two matches, the 1–0 win over Panama, and this. You are right in the mix.

Bellingham escaped red against Ayew

Jude Bellingham should have seen red. He covered Jordan Ayew's mouth with his hand during a clash Tuesday, violating what some outlets call the "Vinícius Law" on such gestures (6) (8). VAR let it slide. Ghana fans can feel hard done by, that was a game-changing non-call.

Carlos Queiroz stood his ground

The touchline was tense. Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz and Bellingham had a confrontation during the match. Queiroz did not hold back on the officials either, saying the VAR team were "on holiday." No apology, no diplomacy, just a coach who had just watched his team deserve their point and wanted more.

Spence refused to shake Partey's hand

Before kickoff, England's Djed Spence declined to shake hands with Thomas Partey. Social media lit up over it. Partey had missed the Panama opener and returned for this one, Spence's snub made the pre-match handshake line a talking point before a ball was kicked.

England's press turns on Tuchel

The English media were not kind. One column called it "the dullest game of the World Cup so far" (11). Jamie Carragher criticised Tuchel's squad selection, particularly the omission of Cole Palmer (4). The Guardian questioned Tuchel's strategy (2). Meanwhile, Ghana's shape and discipline got grudging respect.

Fan-reaktioner

The wider football internet is having fun with this one. A post about a self-proclaimed witch doctor who "cursed" Harry Kane and now vows to lift the jinx after his Ghana miss is doing the rounds, you cannot make this stuff up. On r/soccer, fans are also deep in the stats, tracking how Asian and African nations have fared against each other at World Cups over the years.

Witch doctor who 'cursed' Harry Kane vows to lift jinx

Asia vs Africa World Cup records