England 0-0 USA: 5 Hits and flops as trans-Atlantic rivals play out high-octane draw

A spirited USA side rattled England for large stretches before both sides settled for a 0-0 draw in a group B game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the Al Bayt Stadium on Friday (25 November).

England came into the encounter high on a 6-2 demolition job of Iran. USA outplayed Wales in the first half of their opening game before conceding in the second half to only get a share of the spoils.

England entered the game as favorites but with a poor World Cup record against the US. And it seemed history could repeat itself after the USMNT hit the straps early.

Not only did the Americans press hard off the ball, they moved it forward with purpose and fashioned some fine openings to give the Three Lions an almighty scare.

Weston McKennie blasted over from a fine Timothy Weah cross in the 26th minute when completely unmarked in the box. The Juventus man leaned back a little too much and lost control of his shot.

Three minutes later, Yunus Musah's shot from range was half-blocked after yet another fine US move. The resultant deflection was saved by Jordan Pickford.

USA came closest to scoring in the 33rd minute, Mckennie did some good work down the right channel to find Musah. He then squared it to Christian Pulisic, whose deft footwork allowed him space to unleash a fierce left-footer that crashed into the woodwork.

England broke through the press for a brief while in first-half stoppage time. Luke Shaw cut in from the left on the overlap and found Bukayo Saka, who shot high and wide under pressure.

Moments later, Shaw found Raheem Sterling whose quick pass to Mason Mount found the Chelsea star in space. His first-time shot to the right of Matt Turner brought out a diving save.

Clear chances were at a premium in the second period. Some sharp inswinging corners from Pulisic troubled the England defense briefly.

Gareth Southgate, meanwhile, brought on Jack Grealish, among others, whose dribbling opened up the US defense a few times but to no tangible result.

Harry Kane had a great chance to claim an undeserving win for the English in the third minute of stoppage time. A great Luke Shaw free-kick was met by the England captain from six yards out but he missed the target.

In the end, England would be happy with a single point after an indifferent outing. The USA, meanwhile, would be feeling they let go of the Three Lions on a night they pushed their illustrious opponents all the way.

England remain on top of the group with four points. The US are third with two, trailing Iran, who beat Wales earlier in the day. On that note, let's take a look at the hits and flops from the gamel.

#5 Hit- Christian Pulisic (USA)

Pulisic was the one who ran the hardest at the England defense and also came closest to scoring when he hit the woodwork with a rasping drive. He also supplied delectable set-pieces and made 79 per cent of his passes, often finding team-mates in good areas.

#4 Flop- Harry Kane (England)

England are counting on Kane for goals in this World Cup, but he is yet to open his account. The 2018 Golden Boot winner endured a frustrating evening where he often had to drop deep to help out the struggling defense or attempt a counter-attack.

Often one of the best passers of the ball, Kane's radar was also a little off on that front (Passing accuracy 71%). Add to that the big chance he missed at the end and it equates to a bad day in the office for the Three Lions' talisman.

#3 Hit- Tyler Adams (USA)

The US captain almost played in a quarterback role in an inspiring performance in midfield. Adams made 40 of his 46 attempted passes, but that stat only scratches the surface of his influence on the night. He was all over the pitch, harrying the English off the ball while initiating attacks from deep in his own half.

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#2 Flop- Raheem Sterling (England)

Sterling made a great start to the World Cup with a fine goal against Iran. But here, his old tendency to get lost in certain games reared its head.

Though he passed with fair accuracy and also found Mount for the Three Lions' best chance in the first half, his characteristic dribbling abilities seemed to be missing on the night.

He was also left frustrated by the lack of support and failed to fashion any meaningful openings for either himself or his teammates before he was taken off in the second half.

#1 Hit- USA full-backs

The combined prowess of Anothonee Robinson and Sergino Dest on the two flanks played a major part in the impressive US performance on the night.

While Weah, Pulisic and McKennie will get deserved plaudits for playing their part in unleasing a barrage of attacks on England, the two fullbacks' contributions cannot be overlooked.

Dest combined really well with McKennie to create US surges down the right, while Robinson did similarly with Pulisic on the other wing. Meanwhile, Dest and Robinson defended gallantly, nullifying the threats of Sterling and Saka no less.

The US counter-press largely benefited from the role of the two defenders.