World Cup

"VAR went for a coffee."

By Hayden Bird

June 24, 2026 | 10:47 AM

3 minutes to read

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FOXBOROUGH — Poetry it was not, but had Henry Wadsworth Longfellow been subjected to the stilted 0-0 World Cup draw between England and Ghana at “Boston Stadium” (Gillette Stadium) on Tuesday, “Paul Revere’s Ride” might’ve sounded slightly different:

Listen, soccer fans, and I shall explain, of the midday slog of Harry Kane.

Not exactly the timeless classic Longfellow had in mind — I’m sure his version would’ve still been more eloquent than my own shoddy attempt — but it’s as close to an apt description of a stale game as could be mustered.

There were zero shots on target in the first half, with Ghana perfectly happy to stay safely ensconced in their 5-4-1 low block, and England huffing and puffing but unable to blow even a single wall of the house down.

Not for the first time, a group of seasoned English professionals showed up in Massachusetts expecting to quickly dispatch a supposedly inferior opponent, only to become entangled in a much more protracted fight than they’d originally anticipated.

Clumsy Revolutionary War references aside — though that could also be a callback to the less-heralded but still-memorable 2-0 U.S. win over England at Foxboro Stadium in 1993 — it was frankly a day in which the more favored side of the conflict was lucky to escape with a draw.

After a hearty pregame rendition of “God Save the King,” England did seemingly all they could to take out a Ghanaian Prince.

Prince Adu, subbed on for Ghana in the second half of the game, was clattered into first by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (who made zero contact with the ball). The play was somehow whistled for a foul on Adu.

Later in his eventful evening, Adu sprinted toward goal on what looked to be Ghana’s best chance at springing the counterattack they had patiently waited for. But just before Adu could unleash a shot, England center-back Ezri Konsa acrobatically lunged into him.

Yet despite making clear contact (and forcing Adu to the ground), no penalty kick was awarded. In addition, video assistant referee (VAR) was not called upon to even review the incident.

Carlos Queiroz, Ghana’s extremely well-traveled coach — who else can claim to have managed both David Beckham’s arrival at Real Madrid as well as tenures in Japan and MLS 1.0 — appeared to be stunned in the postgame press conference.

“Is VAR still working?” he sarcastically asked a FIFA official while speaking to reporters. When he was assured that the technology was in fact working at “Boston Stadium,” the experienced Portuguese coach (who has only been in charge of the Ghanaian team since April) could only fall back on humor.

“VAR went for a coffee.”

Having been spoiled by spirited Scots (as well as fun Haitian, Norwegian, Iraqi, and Moroccan fans), Boston’s England experience was muted. Even the weather reflected this, as the region promptly traded sunny skies for rain clouds as soon as the “Three Lions” ambled onto the scene.

“It takes two to tango,” quipped England head coach Thomas Tuchel, noting that Ghana were perfectly content to sit deep for almost the entirety of the game, unlocking their defensive vault only to spring a limited number of threatening counters.

The English dominated the ball, but their seemingly impossible figure of 78.8 percent possession was the highest (since recording began in 1966) by any World Cup team in a game during which they failed to score.

Off the field, England fans — perhaps quieted by their own anxiety — were also underwhelming, failing to generate anything close to the atmosphere seen in the region’s other World Cup games so far.

It was the Ghanaians, despite being only about 10 percent of the crowd, who were consistently louder (and seemed to be having all the fun).

True, this is far from a disaster for England, who also probably should’ve still won the game had Kane hit the target with his 86th minute effort that he sent sailing over the crossbar. It’s actually perfectly in-step with their recent major tournament runs. England have drawn in the second group stage game at each of the last two World Cups and the last two Euros (with three of those four games ending 0-0).

Yet the game and its underwhelming scoreline have posed uncomfortable questions about the English team that are likely to linger, and will only grow louder if emphatic victory isn’t achieved in the final group stage game against Panama. Can they solve a well-organized low block? Can they win when Kane misfires? Is their defense good enough to hold off an opponent that manages more than two shots and 22-percent possession?

As the local World Cup scene quickly moves on — Friday’s highly anticipated Norway-France game in Foxborough now takes center stage — England are once again left to evacuate Massachusetts after an underwhelming outcome.