Ezri Konsa was fortunate not to be punished for a foul inside the box (Image: BBC)
England were lucky not to concede a penalty during their goalless draw against Ghana, says former Premier League referee Darren Cann. The two Group L teams played out a 0-0 World Cup stalemate at Boston’s Gillette Stadium. In truth it was a match devoid of clear-cut chances and excitement as Ghana defended diligently to frustrate their favoured opponents. Nico O’Reilly hit the crossbar late on before Harry Kane blazed over but Thomas Tuchel’s men were otherwise underwhelming as they failed to break down the Ghanaians.
But Cann – who officiated 579 Premier League matches before retiring in April last year – insists Ezri Konsa was fortunate not to give Ghana a chance to win the match from 12 yards out. When Ghana counter-attacked in the second half, Konsa lunged at substitute Prince Kwabena Adu and brought the attacker down by making contact with his knee. The Aston Villa centre-back did not get any contact on the ball but referee Said Martinez, of Honduras, let him off and VAR failed to intervene.
Discussing the incident on the BBC post-match, Micah Richards said: “I was just a bit worried that England would get too confident in situations. I know we want to risk but you see here, it becomes very sloppy. He [Bukayo Saka] loses the ball and you find yourself 4vs4 at the back. They’ve got to sort this out. Yes they’re chasing the game but you still need that protection behind you. On another day, that could have been a penalty.”
And Cann then told host Gabby Logan: “Yes I agree, Gabby. We had our hearts in our mouths when we saw Ezri Konsa make that challenge. First and foremost as an England fan I’m delighted it wasn’t given. But I have to be honest, for me, this should have been referred to the referee.
“Konsa makes no contact with the ball. He brings down his opponent. You can see it perfectly from this angle. He’s airborne, he’s out of control, he makes contact with the attacker and no contact with the ball. For me this is a penalty kick. We’ve had seven penalties in this World Cup so far. I’m very glad that wasn’t an eighth!”
Asked by Joe Hart if VAR would have overruled to deny the penalty had it been awarded on the pitch, Cann replied: “That’s the dilemma for the VAR, Joe. In this tournament, most of the time, they’ve gone with the on-field decision.
“We had one last night in the Argentina game where it was overturned. But the general thrust of the tournament is such that they’ll stick with the on-field decision unless it’s clearly, clearly wrong.”
EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
Ezri Konsa escaped punishment despite a wild tackle in the box (Image: BBC)
Darren Cann speaks alongside Joe Hart after England 0-0 Ghana (Image: BBC)
Speaking on the BBC‘s commentary, ex-England striker Alan Shearer, who scored 30 times in 63 caps, said: “Not a disaster but it is absolutely a reality check.”
While Wayne Rooney, who scored 53 times in 120 caps for his country, added: “You’re always hoping for that energy and that performance that we saw against Croatia in the second half. But these games are so difficult when a team sits back and you have most of the possession and then you have to try and break them down and find space.
“We didn’t get enough crosses in but Ghana were excellent and disciplined and concentrated in how they defended. Me and Joe have experienced going out after two games. England have qualified, that’s the main thing, they’re through to the next round.
“For Tuchel now, I expect changes on Saturday night. I expect changes. England probed but there’s little details throughout the game Tuchel will look at with the team and try and improve on. It’s not a disaster but there’s things when you get into the later stages that you need to improve and do better.”
Hart chimed in: “It’s not a disaster. It’s key we don’t get too high and too low. It was a difficult performance. Credit to Ghana, brilliant game plan and they could have nicked it. It could have been worse tonight.
“Loads of things to work on but the fans are still with them and we’re still with them. I expect them to go on and perform on Saturday night. They’ve got stay on the same page and not get too carried away.”
Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!