England and USA played one of the matches of the tournament so far as they produced one of the goalless World Cup Results on Friday. Group B leaders England would only need to lose to Wales by four goals or more to advance, but Southgate will have to address questions about the noticeable downturn in his team’s play and how they might regain their form for the competition’s business phase. The fans of England were optimistic about the team’s development since their march to the Euro final last year following their 6-2 thumping of Iran in their opening game in Qatar.
England started strong in the first half after having fun against Iran. Kane’s shot, which was destined for the goal, was stopped by Bukayo Saka’s cutback, while Mason Mount’s attempt, which was aimed at the goal, was missed by Maguire after he entered the area. Weston McKennie squandered a great opportunity, Yunus Musah saw a shot deflected into Jordan Pickford’s hands, and Haji Wright headed wide as Southgate’s squad swiftly lost control and looked uncertain and fragmented without the ball. At Al Bayt Stadium, Pulisic’s powerful left-footed attempt from well inside the box struck Pickford’s goal frame, adding to the traveling fans’ rising concern over England’s performance.
Then, as England clung on for the remainder of the half, Maguire, who was magnificent on his 50th appearance, did brilliantly to deny a dangerous attempt from Sergio Dest, and Pulisic headed wide. Despite a late Saka shot that went wide and Mount’s first chance for the Three Lions to score in stoppage time, there was little to mask England’s struggles in the opening 45 minutes. Things didn’t get much better after the break either as John Stones had to block a shot from Wright, McKennie missed once more, Pulisic’s shot was deflected wide, and the USA upped their pressure with a series of corners around the hour mark.
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