England manager Thomas Tuchel has praised Ghana’s defensive display after his side was held to a goalless draw in their FIFA World Cup Group L clash.
Speaking after Tuesday’s match, Tuchel described the Black Stars‘ performance as one of the strongest defensive displays he has witnessed.
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“I think full respect to Ghana. 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,” the German said.
England dominated possession but failed to break down Ghana’s defence despite controlling 78.8% of the ball, the highest possession recorded by any team in a World Cup match since records began in 1966, without scoring.
Tuchel admitted his side lacked the finishing touch needed to convert their dominance into goals.
“We had enough set-pieces to decide the match, but we were not clinical enough,” he said, adding that he took more positives than negatives from the performance.
The England manager acknowledged that supporters may have been disappointed after his side failed to produce the same attacking football that saw them beat Croatia 4-2 in their opening group game.
“If one team tries to play and run against this deep block and you don’t find the spaces and it’s difficult for you to create chances, it can be difficult to watch,” he said.
“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.”
Tuchel also defended captain Harry Kane after the striker missed a late opportunity to win the match.
Kane fired over the bar in the 86th minute after Nico O’Reilly’s header struck the crossbar and fell kindly to him inside the penalty area.
“Ninety-nine out of 100 he will convert this chance,” Tuchel said.
England have four points from their opening two Group L matches and conclude their group campaign against Panama on Saturday.
Ghana Black Stars, who are also on four points, face Croatia in their final group match, with qualification to the Round of 32 still to be decided.
