Thomas Tuchel has dismissed suggestions that England were handed a World Cup wake-up call after being held to a goalless draw against Ghana, urging supporters not to lose belief in his side. The head coach acknowledged frustration at the team's inability to find a goal despite dominating possession but refused to panic, noting that England still have an opportunity to finish top of Group L if they defeat Panama in New Jersey on Saturday.
Missed Chances and a Controversial Penalty Decision
The substitute Nico O'Reilly came closest to breaking the deadlock four minutes before the end of normal time when his header struck the crossbar, with Harry Kane blazing the follow-up over. Ghana were full value for a point and might have won if the Honduran referee, Said Martínez, had ruled against Ezri Konsa after he appeared to bring down the substitute Prince Kwabena Adu inside the England penalty area during the second half. The Ghana manager, Carlos Queiroz, was adamant that his side should have been awarded a penalty, saying, "I'm not sure if VAR is still working. It was a clear penalty."
Tuchel: 'We Don't Need a Wake-Up Call'
Tuchel admitted frustration at England not being able to find a goal after having almost 80% of possession but refused to panic. "We don't need a wake-up call," the manager said. "Everyone is alert and everyone is fully committed. 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." He added, "It is what it is. But we have four points out of two matches and still a match to play. And 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."
Kane Remains Upbeat Despite Failing to Score
Harry Kane was also upbeat about the result despite failing to move ahead of Gary Lineker in England's all-time list of World Cup finals scorers. "We're in a great position," the captain told the BBC. "I spoke before about major tournaments: you chunk it up into two separate tournaments. First is the group stage, making sure you get through, and hopefully we can finish with a win and finish top. And then comes the second tournament, which is the knockout stage. We've almost done part one. We recover now with a quick turnaround and look forward to getting back out there."
Queiroz Praises Ghana's 'Bravery, Courage and Perseverance'
The Ghana manager, Carlos Queiroz, felt his side deserved at least a point for their "bravery, courage and perseverance" and was adamant they should have been awarded a penalty. He also revealed he exchanged heated words with Jude Bellingham at half-time after the Real Madrid player's late challenge on Jerome Opoku. "My intention was to tell him to cool down with that tackle," he said. "He swore and that created a bit more tension. But it's just football – he had one word that carried a bit of fire but we are professionals and we were able to cool down. This isn't dancing where you wear tuxedos, it's football."
