Bellingham rejects Man of the Match after Ghana stalemate

Bellingham rejects – Jude Bellingham said he “didn’t deserve” the Man of the Match award after England were held to a 0-0 draw by Ghana in Boston. The Real Madrid midfielder also claimed the accolade “probably should have gone” to a Ghanaian defender, as the result left the Three

Jude Bellingham accepted the Man of the Match award after England’s 0-0 draw with Ghana on Tuesday—but his face didn’t match the moment.

In Boston. the Three Lions pushed for a breakthrough despite almost 80 per cent possession. but Nico O’Reilly’s strike against the crossbar and Harry Kane missing a close-range chance were as close as they came. Ghana’s defence held firm. restricting England to just three shots on target and leaving England to settle for a point.

Bellingham, 22 and on Real Madrid’s books, later made his feelings clear. “I didn’t deserve it, to be honest. It probably should have gone to one of their lads who defended so well.”

His critique wasn’t aimed at the achievement of the award itself so much as at who should have been celebrated. While the England midfielder posed with the trophy, he admitted the decision didn’t feel right after Ghana absorbed wave after wave.

England’s manager and players had also praised the Ghanaian defence after the draw. But there was more tension in the background than the final score suggested.

Bellingham’s evening was not only about chances created and chances missed. He had been spotted rowing with Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz after the referee blew the whistle for half-time. with the midfielder accused of launching an X-rated tirade. Bellingham later avoided a yellow card after a late challenge on Ghana defender Jerome Opoku. sparking a furious argument on the touchline that staff had to step in to calm.

Queiroz later told ITV that “He had a bad reaction with some bad names.”

The 0-0 result carried a second message for England too: it was the fourth consecutive major tournament in which the Three Lions have failed to win their second group stage match.

For Bellingham, the key lesson was what comes next, not what went missing on the day. He talked about “second game fever,” adding: “Win the first one and draw the second. I think they played for a draw, which could have seen them go through. Fair play to them. They did a great job.”

Captain Harry Kane, facing questions after another frustrating afternoon, insisted the squad must regroup quickly. England remain top of Group L ahead of their final match against Panama on Saturday.

Kane told the BBC: “It was one of those games against a difficult team to break down. Probably 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 didn’t concede too many chances and they’ve got some good players. We wanted the win but we take the point.”.

He also explained why England struggled to unlock Ghana consistently. “I was kind of man-marked by Partey for a lot of the game so didn’t have the space to drop deep and arrive late in the box. We had a lot of crosses but couldn’t get first contact. We got better as the game went along, but some games are like that. We’re playing against a good side who make it difficult.”.

Kane finished by pointing to the next fixture in New Jersey: “We’re in a great position and we’re playing Panama next so hopefully we can finish with a win and finish top. We look forward to getting back out there in a few days.”

So England left Boston with a clean sheet and the top spot in Group L — but also with unresolved frustration over chances created, and a Man of the Match award that Bellingham said should never have landed on his own shoulders.

England vs Ghana Jude Bellingham Man of the Match Harry Kane Nico O'Reilly Thomas Tuchel Carlos Queiroz Jerome Opoku World Cup Group L Panama