November 25, (THEWILL) – After putting six past Iran in their opening game, England endured a flat scoreless draw at the Al Bayt Stadium, stretching their World Cup winless streak against the United States to three games.
Although Gareth Southgate’s team knew a win would guarantee them a berth in the knockout rounds, they struggled to find a way through, and the USA was consistently the superior team in the 90 minutes of football.
While England only once put Matt Turner to the test throughout, Christian Pulisic came the closest to determining the game when his strike hit the crossbar in the first half.
In the end, both teams were forced to settle for a share of the spoils in the draw. It means they have some work to do in their final games on Tuesday because neither side could muster much of a threat before the final whistle.
The outcome leaves Group B in a precarious position going into the last round of games, and England’s performance was very different from their dominant performance against Iran.
England is in first place with four points, one more than Iran and two more than the United States. They only tried eight shots in this game, but even though they had a poor offence, it was still positive for them given the circumstances. To get out of the group, the Three Lions simply need to avoid a humiliating loss to Wales, while the USMNT must defeat Iran in order to advance.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
