England lose shine after dull draw against Ghana

The surge isn’t sustained, but it means another more dour trend is continued.

- MIGUEL DELANEY AT THE BOSTON STADIUM

For the fourth tournament in a row, England draw their second game.

Momentum is stalled, expectation drops back again. They weren't looking like champions in this one. Thomas Tuchel hasn't changed everything yet. Far from it. Nothing he did seemed to change the game here. Ghana were excellent value for a 0-0 draw, with a supremely disciplined defensive performance. And while Tuchel raged, Carlos Queiroz was punching the air with his delighted players. They celebrated this like a win, and it still could have been that.

Prince Adu probably should have had a penalty in the 82nd minute, when Ezri Konsa desperately cut him down but the referee just waved play on. There followed England's best chance, as substitute Nico O'Reilly smashed the crossbar with a header and then Harry Kane - of all players - drove the ball well over the bar from just yards out.

That should have been it, the winner and his third of the tournament. Instead, that was pretty much it from England, outside one Marc Guehi header batted away. You could call it a desperate goalline clearance but Ghana were only too happy to play that deep.

Such intensive English attacking also amounted to only about 20 seconds in total, though, compared to the 20 minutes of siege football against Croatia. Here, the subs didn't work. The set-pieces didn't work. England could barely even work an opening.

That might not have much material meaning to the group, since England are still in command. A win against Panama keeps them top, but it might have other effects.