Jude Bellingham accused of x-rated rant by Ghana manager in half-time outburst
It was a somewhat frustrating night for England as they drew 0-0 with Ghana in their second group stage game at the World Cup.
Drawing the second group game has actually become something of a tradition for England in recent tournaments as it's happened in their last four competitions, and a resolute Ghana defence which stayed deep and allowed no space successfully clung on against the Three Lions.
Carlos Queiroz's side knew that they didn't need to win this game, but it was imperative not to lose it, and they managed to prevent England from settling into the groove they'd shown in their first World Cup fixture.
The best chance of the game came for the Three Lions when Nico O’Reilly headed the ball against the bar and it came out to Harry Kane, who sadly put it over the crossbar from close range.
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With no goals to provide drama, attention was drawn to a half-time argument that appeared to spring between England star Jude Bellingham and Ghana manager Queiroz.
There appeared to be some words between the two at half-time, with Bellingham being led away by a teammate while Ghanaian players held back their manager Queiroz as he tried following England's number 10.
Speaking about the incident, Queiroz claimed Bellingham 'had a bad reaction with some bad names', though played down the idea of anything serious going on.
He said: "My intention was to tell him to cool down with that tackle.
"He went with his foot against my player. But my first goal was to cool down because I was worried that the player was not in 100 percent health.
"In the middle of the emotional moment, these things are normal. He swears and that created more tension. It's football, it's nothing special. One word created a bit of fire but we cooled down. Football is not dancing in a saloon with tuxedos. It's not a show."
Bellingham, meanwhile, said the moment happened after he 'made a silly tackle'.
"I was trying to try to win the ball, and I followed through a little bit and caught the lad. I spoke to him after, and then their bench jumped up trying to get me a yellow card," the footballer explained.
"I think their manager, I just recognised him. He's obviously the one who used to be at Manchester United, so great respect, and nothing but a competitive edge for both of us."
England manager Thomas Tuchel described the moment as an 'exchange of emotions', saying that 'Jude stood up for himself and his team'.
"Emotions are a part of the game but we don't want to get distracted with stuff that could distract us," he said, with both managers saying the moment was 'nothing special'.
Bellingham ended up being awarded man of the match, but afterwards said he didn't think he deserved the accolade and thought a Ghana player 'who defended so well' probably should have got it.
Bit of a storm in a teacup, really.
2026 World Cup results so far
Wednesday, 24 June
Group L: Panama vs Croatia, 1-0
Group L: Colombia vs DR Congo, 1-0
Tuesday, 23 June
Group I: Norway vs Senegal, 3-2
Group J: Algeria vs Jordan, 2-1
Group K: Portugal vs Uzbekistan, 5-0
Group L: England vs Ghana, 0-0
Monday, 22 June
Group G: New Zealand vs Egypt, 1-3
Group J: Argentina vs Austria, 2-0
Group I: France vs Iraq, 3-0
Sunday, 21 June
Group E: Ecuador vs Curaçao, 0-0
Group F: Tunisia vs Japan, 0-4
Group G: Belgium vs Iran, 0-0
Group H: Spain vs Saudi Arabia, 4-0
Group H: Uruguay vs Cape Verde, 2-2
Saturday, 20 June
Group C: Brazil vs Haiti, 3-0
Group D: Turkey vs Paraguay, 0-1
Group E: Germany vs Ivory Coast, 2-1
Group F: Netherlands vs Sweden, 5-1
Friday, 19 June
Group A: Mexico vs South Korea, 1-0
Group C: Scotland vs Morocco, 0-1
Group D: USA vs Australia, 2-0
Thursday 18 June
Group L: Ghana vs Panama, 1-0
Group K: Uzbekistan vs Colombia, 1-3
Group A: Czech Republic vs South Africa, 1-1
Group B: Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, 4-1
Group B: Canada vs Qatar, 6-0
Wednesday 17 June
Group K: Portugal vs DR Congo, 1-1
Group L: England vs Croatia, 4-2
Group J: Argentina vs Algeria, 3-0
Group J: Austria vs Jordan, 3-1
Tuesday 16 June
Group G: Iran vs New Zealand, 2-2
Group I: France vs Senegal, 3-1
Group I: Iraq vs Norway, 1-4
Monday, 15 June
Group E: Ivory Coast vs Ecuador, 1-0
Group F: Sweden vs Tunisia, 5-1
Sunday, 14 June
Group C: Haiti vs Scotland, 0-1
Group D: Australia vs Turkey, 2-0
Group E: Germany vs Curaçao, 7-1
Group F: Netherlands vs Japan, 2-2
Saturday, 13 June
Group D: USA vs Paraguay, 4-1
Group B: Qatar vs Switzerland, 1-1
Group C: Brazil vs Morocco, 1-1
Friday, 12 June
Group A: South Korea vs Czech Republic, 2-1
Group B: Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, 1-1
Thursday, 11 June
Group A: Mexico vs South Africa, 2-0
Topics: Jude Bellingham, Football, Sport, World Cup
Joe Harker