Wayne Rooney felt England had luck on their side when Ezri Konsa avoided giving away a late penalty in their drab draw against Ghana on Tuesday evening.
Thomas Tuchel‘s side controlled the clash in Boston, but despite having 78.8 per cent of possession, they struggled to break down their resolute opponents and managed just three shots on target.
Nico O’Reilly hit the bar before Harry Kane blazed over a golden chance, yet it could’ve been much worse for the Three Lions as Ghana caused problems on the break.
That threat came to a head late on when Eberechi Eze was robbed of the ball by Leicester City‘s Abdul Fatawu.
The Ghanaian winger broke away and fed in Prince Adu with an incisive pass that saw him bearing down on goal.
However, Adu took a poor touch, which gave Konsa a chance to intervene yet the Aston Villa man clattered into his body with both of his feet in the air.
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Wayne Rooney felt England were lucky that Ezri Konsa did not concede a penalty for a late foul
Konsa appeared to foul Prince Adu but the referee and VAR decided not to intervene
Konsa didn’t make any contact with the ball and Adu was sent sprawling to the floor, yet referee Said Martinez didn’t penalise England and neither did VAR, despite many feeling that Tuchel’s side had got away with one.
This included Wayne Rooney, who expressed his surprise that the officials did not get involved.
‘I think that’s a penalty,’ Rooney said on the BBC’s coverage of the game. ‘Konsa takes a huge risk.
‘His feet are off the floor when he comes flying in and he gets the man, not the ball.’
Host Gabby Logan then brought in the BBC’s refereeing expert Darren Cann, who was a linesman in the 2010 World Cup final.
Cann shared Rooney’s outlook as he said: ‘Konsa makes no contact at all with the ball. He brings down his opponent.
‘He’s airborne, he’s out of control, he makes contact with the attacker and no contact with the ball. For me, this is a penalty kick.’
Cann added that he was relieved from his position as an England fan that it wasn’t given as a penalty, but highlighted how officials have tended to stick with the on-field decision throughout this tournament.
He added: ‘We’ve had seven penalties in this World Cup so far. I’m very glad that wasn’t an eighth.’
After being knocked to the floor, Adu did manage to scoop a shot at goal, but his effort hit Antoine Semenyo, who was in an offside position.
The draw left Ghana and England both on four points after two matches ahead of Panama’s clash with Croatia on Wednesday morning.
