Were Ghana robbed of a penalty against England at FIFA World Cup 2026? Controversial moment explained

There were multiple contentious calls by the referee during the England vs Ghana match tonight.

Ghana secured a hard-fought goalless draw against England in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L clash at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on June 23. However, the result could have looked very different had a few controversial refereeing calls gone in favour of the African side.

After a largely uneventful hour of football, a moment of controversy flared up in the 67th minute. A long ball towards the English penalty area was chased down by Prince Kwabena Adu. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford also came rushing out of his penalty area to clear the danger.

The pair collided outside the box. In real-time, it looked like the Everton goalkeeper had committed a foul on Adu after the ball had gone past him. However, Honduran referee Said Martinez astonishingly ruled that it was the England custodian who had been fouled instead.

Had Pickford been penalised, he would surely have been sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity to Adu. Instead, a free-kick was awarded to the Three Lions, much to the fury of opposition head coach Carlos Queiroz.

Also Read: Why was Aziz Ganiev’s goal ruled out in Portugal vs Uzbekistan FIFA World Cup 2026 clash?

Ghana denied late penalty

Another huge moment came in the 79th minute. Eberechi Eze was shoulder-charged off the ball by Abdul Fatawu, who then teed up Adu. The substitute was ready to pull the trigger from close range, but Ezri Konsa came flying in with a challenge.

The Aston Villa defender seemed to catch Adu on the right knee without getting much of the ball. Adu, who went to ground after the challenge, tried to poke his toe at the ball, which hit Antoine Semenyo. As a result, the offside flag was raised against the Manchester City forward.

The referee waved away Ghanaian claims for a penalty, much to the astonishment of the onlookers. Even former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann admitted to the BBC that it was a penalty, or at the very least, should have been referred to the VAR.

Despite two big calls going their way, England failed to capitalise on them, with the Black Stars holding firm at the back to deny Harry Kane and company a crucial point.

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