England manager Thomas Tuchel acknowledged that his side was fortunate not to concede a penalty in their goalless World Cup draw against Ghana on Tuesday, as Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz sarcastically suggested VAR had 'gone for a coffee' after missing the incident.
Controversial challenge sparks debate
In the closing stages of the match, England defender Ezri Konsa challenged Prince Kwabena Adu inside the box. Replays showed Konsa made no contact with the ball and brought down the Ghanaian forward. Play was initially halted for offside against Ghana's Antoine Semenyo, who was struck by the ball after Adu's shot, leading to confusion as the game continued without a penalty review.
Queiroz was visibly frustrated after the match. 'I like to take my coffees once in a while,' he said during his press conference. 'It's a clear penalty, and a red card [for Konsa]. Do you have any doubts about that, or was it only me who was at the game? I am sorry for my sarcasm, but if I say this kind of thing seriously, they punish me. So I am joking.'
Ex-players and officials weigh in
Former England striker Ian Wright admitted his side was fortunate. 'I think we were fortunate in that game in the end,' Wright told Stick to Football. 'Because we didn't do enough creatively and I thought we were very fortunate with that Konsa challenge.' Ex-England right-back Gary Neville agreed, stating: 'I thought it was such a certain definite penalty... The Konsa one I thought was 100 per cent a penalty.'
Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann, speaking on the BBC, also believed Ghana should have been awarded a spot kick. 'We had our hearts in our mouths when we saw Ezri Konsa make that challenge,' Cann confessed. 'As an England fan, I'm absolutely delighted that it wasn't given, but I have to be honest - this should have been referred to the referee for an on-pitch review. 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. We've had seven penalties at this tournament so far. I'm very glad that was not an eighth.'
England's performance under scrutiny
England's draw was seen as a reality check following their impressive 4-2 win against Croatia in their opening match. However, Tuchel dismissed suggestions that his team needed a wake-up call. 'Everyone is alert and everyone is fully committed,' Tuchel affirmed. 'There can be no doubt. I can assure that to everyone else. There was no overconfidence in our game. Not at all. If there was anything, there was maybe in some moments a bit of over-cautious. It is what it is. But we have four points out of two matches, and still a match to play. We are able to win our last match, and we will try to win it, of course. It is very important that the highs don't get too high, and the lows get not too low. And today is not a low, it is just a difficult match.'
