Thomas Tuchel has talked about creating history this summer but this drab goalless draw felt more like a worrying tournament retread for anaemic England.
First game good, second game soporific. It is a trend that has followed England through the last two Euros and the previous World Cup in Qatar but rarely has the contrast been as stark as it was in the mizzling Massachusetts rain. After the rock and roll football of Dallas, this was more prog rock album filler from Tuchel and co.
In their opener England had a willing dance partner in Croatia. Here they had Carlos Quieroz-marshalled Ghana, whose monochrome tactics were a stark contrast to their loud support.
That’s their prerogative, though. It’s England’s to do something about it and despite all the attacking talent on show here – and their much-vaunted “finishers” – there was to be no way through.
It means England have work to do in Group L. Picking through Panama is no longer a luxury – running up the score in New Jersey on Saturday is essential to progress in first place. It all feels that little bit more complicated.
It was a game as damp as the Boston weather, England confronted with a yellow wall which they couldn’t knock down.
Tuchel says he wants England to play like a Premier League team and here they did – but it was more like one of those attritional mid-season Arsenal displays when it looked like they would bottle the title.
Having rolled out one of the most thrilling performances of the first round of games, England were culpable in a contest that was probably the worst of the tournament so far. Not that Quieroz would have cared. To put it bluntly his Machiavellian strategy of sitting in and denying England space and time worked. It almost earned them an unlikely victory with a couple of late counters.
England's second game struggles
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 23, 2026
They haven't won their second match at any of the last four major tournaments.#FifaWorldCup pic.twitter.com/v9FUpsN9CI
Apart from a Declan Rice deadball pot-shot, England created little in the first half. Set pieces, alarmingly, were flat and only in injury time did they step on the gas when Harry Kane found space to unleash a drive that Jonas Adjetey blocked.
At home they held their breath for more Anthony Barry opprobrium. The England assistant boss had dismantled their first half performance against Croatia for TV viewers but even he was unusually low-key, urging patience and caution in case Ghana caught them on the break.
He wasn’t wrong but England could do little about it and for a frustrated Tuchel, it poses selection questions. Can he really go with Anthony Gordon again?
Gordon had laboured on the left, barely making an impact, before being replaced by Bukayo Saka with Noni Madueke switching flanks. Given his limited impact in the US so far, Gordon’s position has to be under threat for Panama on Saturday.
The contrast with Antoine Semenyo, who grew in influence as the game wore on, was marked. His pace and directness was a problem and England struggled to put a lid on him.
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The worry was that one of Ghana’s counters would connect and sure enough, they sprung England’s back four twice to leave Jordan Pickford exposed.
The first time the Everton goalkeeper hared off his line and got lucky as Prince Adu lifted his studs. The second required an intervention from Ezri Konsa on Adu that looked like it might have been a penalty.
Was there time for a late rally? Substitute Saka stretched Benjamin Asare with a fine drive before Nico O’Reilly clattered the bar with a close range header. Somehow Kane, following up, blasted over the bar. It summed up a frustrating day.
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