Kane misses an open goal, Bellingham says he didn't deserve the award, and England stumble in Boston
Harry Kane wasted a clear chance late on, Bellingham turned down the man-of-the-match award, and England were held 0-0 by Ghana at the 2026 World Cup.
One-on-one with the goalkeeper, Ghana at their mercy, Harry Kane fired over the bar. And Boston fell silent.
England's all-time leading scorer wasted the clearest chance of the match in the 86th minute — after O'Reilly had already rattled the crossbar. The rebound was there to be tapped in. It wasn't. England were held 0-0 by Ghana and had their qualification pushed to the final matchday.
Kane didn't shy away from the moment. "I back myself nine times out of ten, but tonight it just didn't happen," the striker told the BBC. He also acknowledged that his side needed an early goal to open the game up: "When the score stays at 0-0, they believe more and defend with more fight."
Manager Thomas Tuchel was blunt about what Ghana brought: "They were more defensive than in their first match," he said. For Declan Rice, the credit belongs entirely to the Africans. "You have to give Ghana all the credit," the Arsenal midfielder said, acknowledging the compact 4-5-1 that smothered England's creativity.
The most surprising moment of the night came from Jude Bellingham. Named FIFA's man of the match, the Real Madrid midfielder declined the honour with grace: "To be honest, I didn't deserve it. It probably should have gone to one of their players," he told the BBC.
On the fringes of the game, Marcus Rashford came off the bench in the second half and matched a historic mark: 11 World Cup appearances as a substitute, level with Brazilian Denílson, a five-time world champion in 2002, according to ge. If he comes on as a substitute in the next match, Rashford will stand alone at the top of that list.
Golmetria's model gives England a 93% chance of advancing at the World Cup — but Tuesday's stumble made it clear that reaching the round of 16 is not the same as arriving ready for it.
On Saturday, England face Panama in New Jersey. Ghana take on Croatia in Philadelphia. Whoever wins secures their place. Whoever stumbles again will be left depending on other results — and on Kane finding the net when it matters most.