Owen urges calm after England's goalless draw with Ghana at World Cup

England were held to a goalless draw by Ghana in their second Group L fixture at the 2026 World Cup, and former striker Michael Owen has moved to temper the criticism that followed, arguing the squad’s mood remains far more upbeat than the external reaction suggests.

Thomas Tuchel’s side had opened their campaign with a 4-2 win over Croatia in the United States, leaving them with four points from two matches and still favourites to advance as group winners ahead of their final group-stage game against Panama.

The stalemate against Ghana drew immediate scrutiny, with questions raised about England’s capacity to break down a low defensive block. Jude Bellingham publicly declined his man-of-the-match award, signalling his own dissatisfaction with the performance.

Owen, however, believes the dressing room will not be consumed by doubt. “Inside the camp, I suspect there was a lot more positivity than there has been on the outside,” he told Mail Online. “Trust me, the players will not be sitting in their hotel rooms thinking, ‘Oh, I’m the worst player and we’re the worst team’. They’ll be reminding themselves they scored four goals in their previous game. They’ll be reminding themselves they have world-class attackers. They’ll be reminding themselves they already have four points from two matches. And so they should.”

Owen, who appeared in three World Cups during his playing career, urged wider perspective on the result. “We all need to calm down a little when it comes to the reaction to England’s goalless draw with Ghana,” he said. “I woke up to a lot of negativity on Wednesday, but I really think we need a bit of perspective here. Was it a brilliant performance? No. Was it disappointing? Of course. But some of the fallout would have you believe England’s challenge has fallen apart overnight. Having played in three World Cups, I can tell you that tournaments simply don’t work like that.”

Owen also cautioned against the squad developing a siege mentality at this early stage, noting that a bunker mentality — where players feel it is them against the world — is not yet warranted given their position in the group.

Arsenal forward Eberechi Eze appeared to echo that sentiment, indicating the squad is taking a measured, even-keeled approach to the tournament rather than swinging between extremes of confidence and concern.