I don't deserve it: Jude Bellingham's blunt take on MOTM award after Ghana draw
Jude Bellingham admitted he did not deserve the Man of the Match award after England's attacking struggles were exposed in a frustrating 0-0 draw against Ghana in Group L in Boston.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham offered an honest assessment after being named Man of the Match in his side's frustrating 0-0 draw against Ghana at the FIFA World Cup, insisting the award should have gone to one of the opposition players.
England were handed a timely reality check in Boston on Monday as Ghana's disciplined defensive display halted Thomas Tuchel's side following their entertaining 4-2 win over Croatia in the opening Group L fixture.
Ghana sat deep, remained compact and disrupted England's attacking rhythm throughout a contest that produced few clear-cut chances. The Three Lions struggled to find spaces against a resolute back line, with Harry Kane missing the game's best opportunity late on after blazing over from close range.
Despite a relatively quiet outing, Bellingham was named the official Player of the Match. The Real Madrid star, however, felt the honour was misplaced.
"I didn't deserve it, to be honest," Bellingham told FIFA's in-house media after the match.
"It should have gone to one of their lads who defended so well. I had a couple of moments, it was hard to get into the game and I'm grateful for whoever voted, but it should've gone to one of their lads."
The 22-year-old also pointed to England's familiar pattern at major tournaments.
"Like always, it's second-game fever with England. Win the first one, do well and draw the second. It's OK though, they played for a draw that would've seen them go through and fair play to them," he added.
The result marked the fourth consecutive major tournament in which England have drawn their second group-stage match.
Declan Rice echoed the sense of frustration but urged calm, insisting England remain well-placed to finish top of Group L.
"You have to give credit to Ghana," Rice told the BBC. "They were 5-4-1 off the ball, very compact, tight spaces to play through. Maybe we can do a little bit more with the ball and create a bit more, but it's tough as they're good players and it was never going to be an easy game."
The Arsenal midfielder stressed there was no reason for panic despite England surrendering their perfect record.
"Loads of top nations drew their first game, so there's no need to be negative. We need to stay positive, keep going and recover before the next match against Panama.
"It's always difficult when you play against 11 behind the ball as deep as they were. You've got to find solutions, and in the last 10 minutes we probably found more than we did in the rest of the game. We were unlucky not to score, but we still have a great chance to top the group."
The stalemate was notable for another reason. It produced the first half of the tournament in which neither side managed a shot on target.
England assistant coach Anthony Barry admitted at half-time that Ghana's defensive setup had caused problems, describing it as "deep, deep, deep - probably deeper than we expected."
Ghana, meanwhile, felt they were denied a late opportunity to snatch all three points when Prince Adu appeared to be brought down inside the penalty area by Ezri Konsa. The referee waved away strong appeals for a penalty, ensuring the points were shared.
England will now look to secure top spot in Group L when they face Panama, while Ghana's disciplined display has strengthened their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages.
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England midfielder Jude Bellingham offered an honest assessment after being named Man of the Match in his side's frustrating 0-0 draw against Ghana at the FIFA World Cup, insisting the award should have gone to one of the opposition players.
England were handed a timely reality check in Boston on Monday as Ghana's disciplined defensive display halted Thomas Tuchel's side following their entertaining 4-2 win over Croatia in the opening Group L fixture.
Ghana sat deep, remained compact and disrupted England's attacking rhythm throughout a contest that produced few clear-cut chances. The Three Lions struggled to find spaces against a resolute back line, with Harry Kane missing the game's best opportunity late on after blazing over from close range.
Despite a relatively quiet outing, Bellingham was named the official Player of the Match. The Real Madrid star, however, felt the honour was misplaced.
"I didn't deserve it, to be honest," Bellingham told FIFA's in-house media after the match.
"It should have gone to one of their lads who defended so well. I had a couple of moments, it was hard to get into the game and I'm grateful for whoever voted, but it should've gone to one of their lads."
The 22-year-old also pointed to England's familiar pattern at major tournaments.
"Like always, it's second-game fever with England. Win the first one, do well and draw the second. It's OK though, they played for a draw that would've seen them go through and fair play to them," he added.
The result marked the fourth consecutive major tournament in which England have drawn their second group-stage match.
Declan Rice echoed the sense of frustration but urged calm, insisting England remain well-placed to finish top of Group L.
"You have to give credit to Ghana," Rice told the BBC. "They were 5-4-1 off the ball, very compact, tight spaces to play through. Maybe we can do a little bit more with the ball and create a bit more, but it's tough as they're good players and it was never going to be an easy game."
The Arsenal midfielder stressed there was no reason for panic despite England surrendering their perfect record.
"Loads of top nations drew their first game, so there's no need to be negative. We need to stay positive, keep going and recover before the next match against Panama.
"It's always difficult when you play against 11 behind the ball as deep as they were. You've got to find solutions, and in the last 10 minutes we probably found more than we did in the rest of the game. We were unlucky not to score, but we still have a great chance to top the group."
The stalemate was notable for another reason. It produced the first half of the tournament in which neither side managed a shot on target.
England assistant coach Anthony Barry admitted at half-time that Ghana's defensive setup had caused problems, describing it as "deep, deep, deep - probably deeper than we expected."
Ghana, meanwhile, felt they were denied a late opportunity to snatch all three points when Prince Adu appeared to be brought down inside the penalty area by Ezri Konsa. The referee waved away strong appeals for a penalty, ensuring the points were shared.
England will now look to secure top spot in Group L when they face Panama, while Ghana's disciplined display has strengthened their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages.
FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup Schedule | FIFA World Cup Points Table | Football News
