So much for the momentum.
The surge of belief sparked by England’s thrilling second-half display in last week’s 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas faded quickly, as Thomas Tuchel’s side delivered a performance in Boston that felt as grey and heavy as the New England skies.
Nico O’Reilly struck the crossbar with a late header, but that was one of the few moments of genuine threat from an England team that appeared worryingly subdued against a Ghana side who created major alarms of their own and grew in confidence as the contest progressed.
The sharpness, freedom and attacking intent that had stood out in Dallas were nowhere to be seen. In their place came a disjointed display that raised fresh doubts about how England would fare against the likes of France and Spain, both of whom already look settled, dangerous and fully capable of going deep in the tournament.
It did not quite sink to the level of England’s infamous 0-0 draw with Algeria in Cape Town in 2010, but it was uncomfortably close in spirit. There was too little courage, too little urgency and almost no spark. Scotland supporters were said to have drunk Boston dry during their stay; on this evidence, they may also have drained the city of feeling and intensity before England arrived.
England and Ghana are now level at the top of Group L, leaving Tuchel’s team facing an anxious wait. They must see whether a sufficiently emphatic win over Panama in New York on Saturday will be enough to secure first place and keep them on course for the expected Round of 32 fixture in Atlanta. That scenario no longer feels guaranteed. The feelgood factor from the Croatia win has vanished almost overnight.
England looked alarmingly flat as Ghana held them to a 0-0 draw in Boston on Tuesday
The optimism surrounding Thomas Tuchel’s side after the Croatia victory has quickly evaporated
Tuchel had treated the England side to a modest evolution after the win over Croatia that won so many plaudits from fans and analysts alike. They were both at the back, which made sense, given England’s vulnerability in that opening game in Dallas. Marc Guehi came in for John Stones. Djed Spence replaced Nico O’Reilly. Anthony Gordon was fortunate to keep his place ahead of Marcus Rashford.
There had been speculation before the game about whether England’s players would shake hands with Ghana’s former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, who has been charged with seven counts of rape by the Metropolitan Police. Spence appeared to withdraw his hand when he passed Partey. Partey denies the allegations.
It was a slow start. Ghana sat off England. England tried to find a way through. Declan Rice whistled a free kick just over the crossbar from 25 yards, Noni Madueke and Reece James began to make inroads on the right and Gordon started to find space on the left. England stretched Ghana as much as they could.
When the hydration break came, England did not need it for hydration because it had been raining most of the morning and it was cold enough for some fans to be wearing sweaters. But Tuchel, who had talked about the change the break makes to the rhythm of a match, used it enthusiastically anyway.
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He was animated on the touchline as England’s players gathered round him. He made a couple of points forcefully to Bellingham, who had been one of England’s better performers, and to Gordon. Once play resumed, Madueke became England’s main threat. His willingness to run at the Ghana defence again and again gave Tuchel’s team glimpses of openings.
But the first signs of frustration crept into England’s play, too. Rice, who had desperately been trying to inject urgency and penetration into England’s play, was booked for a foul on Nicholas Opoku and even though the England midfielder was bitterly amused by the decision, the tackle was late and clumsy. The sanction was fair.
Kane had half a chance in time added on at the end of the first half when Rice clipped a first time pass to him inside the area but Ghana smothered the England captain with attention. By the time Kane got a shot away, four Ghana players were surrounding him. One of them blocked it.
A few seconds before the interval, Bellingham left his shoulder in on Opoku as the Ghana defender cleared the ball and the incident angered Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz. The bad feeling lingered. When the whistle blew for half-time, Bellingham and Queiroz appeared to exchange words and there was some finger-pointing and some barging. Things were heating up.
Bellingham was earning his 50th cap and so, at 22 years and 359 days old, he had become the youngest player to reach this milestone for England’s men’s team. No one wanted him to mark it with a disciplinary issue.
Harry Kane missed England’s best chance, blazing over the bar late in the second half
Ghana started the second half confidently and five minutes into it, they created the best chance of the game so far. Marvin Senaya and Gordon watched a long crossfield pass from the Ghana left dropping towards them and Senaya muscled his way in front of the Barcelona winger. He took it on his chest and advanced on goal but his shot was smothered by an England challenge.
Some concern crept in. Ghana had started to play well. England looked like a side that had run out of ideas. There were fewer signs of the verve and fluency that decorated their second half against Croatia, although, on cue, they produced a flowing move that ended with Madueke’s shot being headed away. It was England’s first shot on target. It had taken 57 minutes to muster it.
Both teams had an escape of sorts midway through the half when Prince Adu chased down a through ball and Jordan Pickford raced out to try to clear it. Pickford has a history of reckless challenges and it looked as if he had made another when he and Adu collided just outside the box.
Both men went down in a heap. Ghana appealed for a red card against the goalkeeper but replays showed that neither men had made contact with the ball and that, actually, Adu’s challenge on Pickford was worse than Pickford’s part of the equation. It was a glimpse of how quickly things can go wrong at World Cups.
On the touchline, Tuchel cut a more and more frustrated figure, waving his arms and clutching his hands to his face in despair. He brought on Bukayo Saka for Gordon. Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze and Nico O’Reilly came on, too, but still England toiled.
England had another escape 10 minutes from time when Adu burst free down the right and was clean in on Pickford. Ezri Konsa came across and appeared to foul him in the box but Adu was adjudged to have been offside. England were living on their nerves.
They pressed for a winner in the dying minutes but it was not enough. And frankly, it would have been more than they deserved.
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