England held to goalless draw against USA in second World Cup game

A frustrated England were held to a goalless draw against the USA in their second World Cup match.

Gareth Southgate‘s men are top of Group B with four points after their earlier win against Iran but had hoped to secure a spot in the final 16 with one game to play.

Only a defeat to Wales on Tuesday by four goals or more would prevent England from making the next stage.

Speaking after the game, captain Harry Kane said: “It wasn’t our best performance. We had some good spells but didn’t quite have the final product today. A great clean sheet puts us in a great position in the group.

“It was a complete contrast to the Iran game. Today we had two, three good opportunities but didn’t put them away.

“We know we can play better than that, but it is a draw in a World Cup – no game is easy. I think after the first game people thought we’d landslide every team we’d play but that is not the case.”

England had an early chance in the first half when Bukayo Saka sent the ball to Harry Kane in the box from 10 yards, before the captain’s low finish was blocked by the USA’s Walker Zimmerman.

The USA had the most chances in the first half, nearly scoring at 32 minutes when Christian Pulisic hit the crossbar, though England finished the first half strong when Mason Mount made an intelligent run into the box, striking a first-time effort that was palmed behind by USA goalkeeper Matt Turner.

The second half was a nerve-wracking 45 minutes for England fans, with the USA continuing to put Southgate’s men under pressure several times until Jack Grealish came on and injected some energy into England’s attack.

Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford attempted to test the USA’s defence after Kane played him a fine ball, but there was no intent in the strike and it was an easy save.

England missed out on a big chance late on after a last-minute effort from Kane saw his header from Luke Shaw’s free-kick go wide.

‘We weren’t ruthless enough’

Centre-back Harry Maguire admitted: “We weren’t at our best.”

He continued: “But in the end, it’s a point and it puts us in a strong position in the group. World Cup games are never easy. They’re a good team.

“We weren’t ruthless enough or clinical enough in the final third, but we kept a clean sheet and we look forward to the Wales game.”

Southgate said it was “exactly the sort of game I thought it would be… really tough, a good opponent”.

He added: “I knew it would be difficult for us after such a high to replicate that type of performance so I’m pleased with how the players applied themselves.”

Southgate said that while the quality in the final third could have been better, the players showed “great resilience to keep defending”.

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Former player and sports pundit Roy Keane said he was “surprised” that Southgate didn’t put midfielder Phil Foden on in the second half.

“Gareth will have his reasons, he is the manager, he knows the players better than anybody, but we were all watching the game thinking Foden, and you would fully expect Foden to come on with the options,” he told ITV.

Audible boos and jeers could be heard at full-time in Qatar, which is to be expected after a goalless game.

England are yet to beat the USA at a major tournament.

The Three Lions opened their campaign with a convincing victory over Iran and will aim for another three points when they face Wales on Tuesday night.

Wales looks unlikely to get out of the group after losing to Iran earlier today 2-0 and a 1-1 draw against the USA last Monday.