England, former world champions having won the 1996 world cup took on a miserly USA in Match 20 of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022. USA tied their first match against Wales and are looking for a win to stabilize their position in the tournament. Naturally, the Brits were the favorites heading into the match, having won their opening game convincingly (6-2) against Iran. However, in a shocking turn around, the USA held their ground and restricted England to a goalless draw in their encounter at Al Bayt Stadium.
England began the first half trying to dominate the Americans with frequent goal attempts by Captain Kane and Stones. Kane shoots a good one towards the goal but Zimmerman (USA) blocks the shot, giving England a corner. The first half so far has been swinging back and forth in favor of both times. 17 minutes, USA makes their first promising attempt at the goal as Wright’s header goes just wide off the English goal. Further on, Weston McKennie shoots one at the British goal but narrowly sends it over the bar in the 26th minute.
The USA have surprisingly begun to dominate the game both in terms of ball possession and goal attempts, pushing valiantly for the opening goal. 41 minutes into the first half, Dest attempts an effort on goal for USA, but it deflects out for a corner. The corner is taken by Dest, who curls it into the English box, as Pulisic heads it wide. Team England are clearly feeling the pressure from the Americans. 2 minutes of stoppage time are added, where England make a few moves. Saka makes an attempt, but his shot skips over the bar. Mount also goes for a shot, sending in a low driven shot, which is saved by Matt Turner, as the referee calls the end of the first half. Scores leveled at 0-0.
USA got the second half rolling, who darted forward with Pulisic cutting in a pass from the left to Wright for a shot that was blocked. The rebound goes to Mckennie who makes a long range attempt that goes over the bar. Quite a scare for the Brits who have been struggling to gain control of the match. Corner after corner for USA and a stellar play by the defensive lineup to surround and block the dangerous Harry Kane when he tries to break out.
A few back to back substitutions by both teams to rest the main players, but the story remains the same with England failing to cope with the pace of the Americans, and the latter failing to convert scoring opportunities as the match enters 5 minutes of extra time. The only potential attempt is made by Harry Kane who sends a header just wide of the American goal. The referee blows the final whistle, with the match ending goalless.
The youthful team from the USA certainly outplayed England in this battle, much to the surprise of the latter and the sporting experts. The only downside in their performance being the poor finishing of their shots due to which they missed a flurry of scoring opportunities. The way they were playing, one would expect them to lead by four or five goals. England were careless in possession and struggled to dominate the confident Americans. They could have sealed their place in the knockout phase with a win.
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