FIFA World Cup 2026: Tuchel praises Ghana's defensive "discipline" after England held to goalless draw

Massachusetts [US], June 24 (ANI): England’s head coach Thomas Tuchel hailed Ghana’s defense giving them “full respect” after the Black Stars held the Three Lions to a goalless draw in their Group L encounter of the FIFA World Cup 2026, at Boston Stadium on Tuesday (local time), as per Reuters.

After their entertaining 4-2 win over Croatia, England were expected to continue their attacking momentum, but instead found themselves stifled by a spirited Ghana side, as they ended up sharing points.

After the match, Tuchel praised Ghana for their disciplined and determined defensive display, saying they showed strong physicality and were highly organised while defending against England.

“I think full respect (to Ghana) and they defended with a lot of determination, with a lot of discipline, and with one of the most physical performances that I saw from a team defending,” Tuchel said as quoted by Reuters.

Tuchel said England had enough set-piece chances to win the match but lacked clinical finishing.

“We had enough set-pieces to decide the match but we were not clinical enough,” he said.

Tuchel said England always aims to entertain fans but found the match difficult. He urged supporters not to lose belief, adding that there is still a long way to go in the tournament.

“We always try to entertain our fans. It was difficult today. I hope they don’t lose belief. There’s a long way to go,” he said.

Notably, in the match, Harry Kane missed a chance in the 86th minute after Nico O’Reilly’s header hit the crossbar and fell to him. Tuchel said that Kane would normally convert that opportunity “99 out of 100” times.

“Ninety-nine out of 100 he will convert this chance,” Tuchel said.

Coming to the match, England dominated possession but struggled to break down a compact and disciplined Ghana defence. Ghana stayed organised with a five-man backline and limited England’s chances, restricting them to long-range efforts in a first half that saw no shots on target. Ghana’s Benjamin Asare put up an excellent goalkeeping display.

In the second half, England introduced Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Eberechi Eze to add more attacking threat, which improved their urgency. However, Ghana continued to defend resolutely and blocked key openings.

England’s best chance came late when Nico O’Reilly hit the crossbar and Kane missed the rebound, while another late effort was cleared off the line in stoppage time. Despite sustained pressure, England failed to score, with Ghana earning a valuable point through a strong defensive display. (ANI)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)