After their impressive opening 4-2 win over Croatia last Wednesday, England’s World Cup campaign stuttered on Tuesday night, as they drew 0-0 with Ghana in Boston.
They may even have been lucky not to come out on the losing side, with Ezri Konsa fortunate not to concede a penalty (not that the BBC thought much of it).
For the fifth time in the last seven World Cups, England consigned their fans to a drab group stage stalemate, with Thomas Tuchel’s side failing to click going forward.
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Tuchel stuck with the same front three which started against Croatia, despite the impressive displays of both Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka off the bench in that victory.
Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke were the starting wingers either side of Harry Kane, who squandered a golden chance to win the game for England when he skied his effort from six yards out late on.
🏴 0-0 🇬🇭
How have England not scored!!! Nico O’Reilly’s header hits off the crossbar, but the rebound falls perfectly for Kane, who skies it over the bar.
Watch all 104 games from the #FIFAWorldCup on RTÉ pic.twitter.com/GHXJM6hc0S
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 23, 2026
However, it is Gordon who is taking much of the flak online, with the Barcelona-bound forward offering virtually nothing to a limp England attack.
Gordon was hooked just after the hour mark, completing just two dribbles and taking only two touches in the opposition box, as well as failing to complete a single cross.
Reacting to the game, Roy Keane shared his opinion that the 25-year-old had been brutally exposed on the biggest stage.
Roy Keane rips into England star
Roy Keane, Gary Neville, and Ian Wright dissected England’s draw with Ghana on The Overlap on Wednesday morning.
As the trio discussed Harry Kane’s late sitter, Wright pivoted the conversation towards the concerning performances of Anthony Gordon on the left-hand-side of England’s attack.
We have to say, with Anthony Gordon, and it’s not digging people out.
But when we saw him against Costa Rica, we was thinking, ‘Right, if we can get the left side working like the right side,’ which we saw in that game.
With Tuchel’s teams, it seems a bit more balanced. At the moment, he’s struggling.
That was all the invitation Roy Keane needed to suggest that Gordon did not seem up to the challenge of wearing the England shirt at a major tournament.
Can I tell you something Wrighty? There’s a difference when you all of a sudden get that shirt, isn’t there?
Some lads are fighting for their position, and then, when you go, ‘You’re the man, take it.’
I don’t know, lads are a bit frightened of that responsibility.
Pressure getting to an England player at a major tournament? Surely not.
It was a brutal aside, and Gary Neville would attempt to defend the England star.
Neville suggested that Ghana’s aggressive low block had not been suited to Gordon’s pacey playing style.
“If we were really doing that game properly, we would have been probably saying, ‘Well, Ghana are going to sit so deep that we’re going to have 75% of the ball,'” Neville said.
“It’s probably not suited to Gordon because he likes that space to run into. Maybe you need more of a manipulator.”
With Barcelona having spent a whopping €80 million on the Newcastle star, Roy Keane had little sympathy for the suggestion that he could not play against a low block.
You can’t just pick a player ’cause there’s no space.
He’s gone to Barcelona. Part of his learning curve is when teams sit in, you have to find a way.
Even Englishman Ian Wright had to accept that Gordon will have to improve against low blocks if he is to succeed at Barcelona, where he is likely to face them regularly in La Liga.
Gordon’s place in the England starting XI could be under threat after his showing against Ghana, with Morgan Rogers, Marcus Rashford, and Ebere Eze all eagerly waiting in the wings.
Their final group game takes place against Panama on Saturday night, with kick-off at 10pm.