After the highs of an opening-match victory over Croatia, England were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw by Ghana on Tuesday in Boston. There were moments when it looked as though the Three Lions could genuinely lose, and the Ghanaians even had a controversial penalty appeal turned down in the 79th minute. But when the final whistle blew, it was an England player who received the Man of the Match award. However, he felt he didn’t deserve it.

“I didn’t deserve it, to be honest,” midfielder Jude Bellingham said post-game. “It probably should have gone to one of their [Ghanaian] lads who defended so well. Had a couple of moments; it was hard to get into the game, and I’m grateful for whoever voted, but it probably should have gone to one of their lads who defended so well. So fair play to them.”

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup, fan votes determine who wins the Man of the Match award. And for most, Bellingham was the standout player at Gillette Stadium in what was otherwise a frustrating outing for one of the tournament favorites. Bellingham, like every other England player, struggled to deal with Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz’s 4-5-1 formation, which narrowed the field of play. He was taken off by head coach Thomas Tuchel in the 73rd minute of the game.

England could consider themselves fortunate to have walked away with a point, all things considered. Ezri Konsa’s foul on Prince Kwabena Adu, just minutes after Bellingham left the field, was not given as a penalty, leaving many surprised, as the Aston Villa defender clearly made contact with Adu rather than the ball. Honduran referee Hector Said Martinez Sorto waved play on, with a resultant offside call from the assistant giving England a free-kick, without a proper VAR check for either.

The game ended 0-0, leaving England top of Group L with four points, level with Ghana. They registered 19 shots, with only four on target, highlighting their lack of attacking rhythm. But overall, considering how lethargic the English looked, Bellingham at least tried to make things happen. He completed 87% of his passes, made two tackles, won two duels, and recovered possession once. Still, he was self-critical.

“Like always, it is second game fever, isn’t it, with England?” he added, before reflecting more broadly on how the match had unfolded. Speaking to FIFA’s in-house media, he also said, “I think they played for a draw, as it would have seen them go through, and fair play to them, they got a great draw.”

Bellingham was referring to England’s record in their second games at the last three major tournaments they participated in. At Euro 2020, they opened with a 1-0 win over Croatia, only to be held to a 0-0 draw by Scotland a few days later. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, they began with a 6-2 victory over Iran before following it up with a 0-0 draw against the United States. Then came Euro 2024, where a 1-0 win over Serbia was followed by a 1-1 draw against Denmark. The second-game curse continued in the United States at this year’s World Cup. For Bellingham personally, however, this tournament has been monumental so far.

Bellingham, who scored against Croatia earlier in the tournament, broke a long-standing England record against Ghana. He became the youngest player to reach 50 caps for England at the age of 22 years and 359 days, surpassing former Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney’s mark.

He has a Man of the Match trophy to remember the game by, but he would have preferred a win. Overall, he won’t be thinking too much about an afternoon filled with frustrations, one that also saw him clash with Queiroz.

Jude Bellingham’s scrap with Carlos Queiroz and lots left for England to do

At halftime, Bellingham and Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz got into a heated exchange, with the veteran coach confronting the midfielder over a late challenge on Jerome Opoku.

Bellingham had caught the defender with an aggressive, mistimed slide tackle just before the whistle, leaving the Ghanaian bench furious. Thankfully, Opoku was not injured. And when asked about the incident involving Bellingham, Queiroz admitted it was a heat-of-the-moment thing.

“It was nothing special. It’s just that emotional moment, the moment he had one word that is not in the book of life. It could create a little bit of fire. But immediately, as professionals, we pulled up. Football is something for brave people, not for people dancing in tuxedos,” the former Iran national team coach said.

Thomas Tuchel later defended his player, stating that no one had “got under their skin.”

“I could not see any red card for us today. I mean, in general, the game was interrupted all the time. I mean, it was difficult to get a rhythm out of this. It was just the way it was,” Tuchel said in the press conference.

Bellingham was far from the only England player to find the night difficult. England’s star-studded forward line struggled to test goalkeeper Benjamin Asare, while several Ghana players were singled out for praise, with right-back Marvin Senaya in particular drawing attention for his defensive performance. Bellingham admitted that one of those players should have received the award instead of him.

On paper, this was not meant to be a competition. England arrived as overwhelming favorites, especially considering Ghana needed a dramatic 95th-minute winner to beat Panama in their opening game and entered the tournament in poor form. The Black Stars had lost five of their previous seven international matches, including a 5-1 defeat to Austria and a 2-1 loss to Germany. Their FIFA ranking of 65th only began to rise following the Panama victory.

Once the match began, none of that mattered. Ghana set up to frustrate, soaking up pressure for long stretches behind a deep, disciplined low block and standing firm against an England side that dominated territory and possession but couldn’t break through. Whatever Bellingham’s view of his own performance, the bigger story belonged to a Ghana side that had been written off. In the end, they left Boston with a result that left England facing an unexpectedly nervy finish to the group.

England plays Panama next on Saturday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.