England boss Thomas Tuchel has spoken out after his side’s 0-0 draw with Ghana at the World Cup on Tuesday night.
The Three Lions failed to make it two wins from as many tournament matches, with their opponents battling valiantly to earn a draw.
Harry Kane, Nico O’Reilly, Bukayo Saka and Marc Guehi all went close for England.
But they’ve been made to wait to ensure qualification for the knockout stages, having struggled against Ghana’s low block throughout the contest.
Kane’s chance, late in the contest, was the pick of the bunch.
The Bayern Munich star, usually so dependable inside the box, fired over the bar from close range to let Ghana off the hook.
Tuchel, speaking afterwards, admitted that he felt England deserved to win the game – and refused to be too critical of his talisman.
“Normally, a clear goal for us,” said the 52-year-old.
England boss Thomas Tuchel has spoken out after his side’s 0-0 draw with Ghana at the World Cup on Tuesday night
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GETTY
Harry Kane missed a big chance in England’s World Cup match with Ghana
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GETTY
“It’s a big chance and then another chance. It would’ve been deserved.
“We knew it would be difficult. They went even more defensive than in the first match; they defended in a 4-5-1.
“We found our intensity the longer the half went but we couldn’t get the reward.
“We were very good at defending the counter-attacks for most of the match. We have to pay a huge amount of attention to that. Subs were very good.”
England’s record at the World Cup | GETTY/ GB NEWS
Tuchel was also quizzed on what he’d change for Saturday night’s match with Panama.
“I have no idea. Panama is in four days,” he said.
Reaction to the disappointing setback has been swift.
Micah Richards, speaking on the BBC, lamented England’s lack of cutting edge up top and suggested they weren’t adventurous enough in their approach.
“The frustrating thing was that England weren’t brave enough,” said the former Three Lions star.
“Yes we knew they were coming up against a team that would set up in a low block but I just felt that there were too many safe passes.
“You need to be more brave when you come up against a team in a low block.”
Rooney also admitted he felt England should have done more, though acknowledged the quality of the opposition.
England boss Thomas Tuchel cut a frustrated figure in their goalless draw with Ghana | GETTY
“You’re always hoping for that energy and that performance that we had against Croatia in the second half,” he remarked.
“These games are so difficult when the teams sit back.
“You have to break them down, and you have to find the space. For me, the key was getting crosses into the box. That is where all the chances came from.
“That was a typical Carlos Queiroz performance. Ghana were excellent and they were disciplined.”
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