World Cup: Harry Kane shuts down critics after England’s draw against Ghana
By Luke Oluoch, June 24, 2026Three Lions skipper Harry Kane has dismissed the concerns and criticism directed at England after Thomas Tuchel’s side were frustrated by Ghana in a 0-0 scoreline in a Group L encounter on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas.
The England centre forward got off to a flyer in England’s first match, netting a brace against Croatia, but was the main culprit for missed chances as England endured a tough evening against the West African nation.
He was at the centre of the team’s best chance and fluffed his lines in the final ten minutes from a golden chance after Nico O’Reilly had struck the crossbar.
Difficult
Following the stalemate, Kane admitted that it was one of the most difficult games he played in, acknowledging Ghana’s defense made it hard for the team to execute their preferred strategy and style of play.
“It was one of those games against a difficult team to break down. Probably in the last 15 minutes of both halves, we were at our best. It could have easily been a game where we came away with a win. In the end, we did not concede too many chances, and they have got some good players. We wanted the win, but we take the point,” he said, as quoted by the BBC.
Kane was also quick to dismiss concerns and criticisms directed at the Three Lions after they failed to find a breakthrough past the African nation.
Backing self
The Bayern Munich star opined that such frustrating results are part of what teams have to grapple with in such competition against decent opposition.
“You go through games like that; I was just there waiting for an opportunity like that. It was a game as a striker, you’re waiting for the ball to bounce. It did; I just could not quite get over the ball. I’m backing myself to score that more often, but it is what it is,” he asserted while on his scoring run,” he added.
“I was kind of man-marked there with Partey for a lot of the game, so I didn’t have the space to drop deep and arrive in the box. They defended the box well, and we couldn’t get the first contact from crosses. We got better as it went on, but yeah, you go through games like that—you are playing a decent side in a World Cup,” he explained even as the side faced criticism over a penalty decision in the Ghana encounter.
Panama next
On England’s chances afterwards, Kane said the team is in a good position as the race for qualification to the round of 32 comes next, with England facing bottom-placed and winless Panama.
“We are in a great position. Panama next, so hopefully we can finish with a win and finish top. For major tournaments, you chunk it up into two separate tournaments. In the group, it’s about getting through, and then the second tournament is the knockout stage. We’ve almost done part one, but we’ll look forward to getting back out there in a few days.”