Tuchel tells England fans not to lose belief while Ghana fume at penalty decision

<p>Asked whether he understood the disappointment of some supporters after England’s excellent performance in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/17/england-croatia-world-cup-2026-group-l-match-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">4-2 win over Croatia</a> in their opening match, Tuchel said: “It’s a long tournament. The boys tried everything. They played with the right energy. I know it’s a very different game. Sometimes, in this case, one team tries to play and run against this deep block. You don’t find the spaces and it’s difficult for you to create chances. It can be difficult to watch. It’s not as exciting as two teams trying to win it in a more open game. We always try to entertain our fans but it takes two to tango.”</p>

<p>This is the fourth major tournament in a row in which England have drawn their second match – starting with a 0-0 draw against Scotland at Euro 2020. Kane was also upbeat about the result despite failing to move ahead of Gary Lineker in England’s all-time list of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/world-cup-football" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Cup</a> finals scorers.</p>

<p>“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.”</p>

<p>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 for the foul on Adu.</p>

<p>after newsletter promotion</p>

<p>“They might have been better than us in the first half but we were better than them in terms of fighting spirit,” he said. “We had opportunities to win it in and I’m not sure if VAR is still working. It was a clear penalty.”</p>

<p>The former assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United also revealed he exchanged heated words with Jude Bellingham at half-time after the Real Madrid player’s late challenge on Jerome Opoku.</p>

<p>“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.”</p>

Guardian Sport · Jun 24

Guardian Sport · Jun 24

234 stories