England vs Ghana promised exactly what the Three Lions' faithful might have expected: complete and utter regression.
Too many times have England proven they have the capacity to play high-quality football at major international tournaments, before suddenly losing the plot entirely just a game later.
But was a draw against Ghana, after an abysmal performance during which England managed a measly three shots on target, enough to secure knockout football for the Three Lions?
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Are England through to the 2026 World Cup knockouts after draw vs Ghana?
The most honest of Three Lions fans, or perhaps the most angry, will confess that a draw was perhaps flattering tonight.
In fact, prior to Harry Kane's mystifying miss on the verge of stoppage time, it was Carlos Queiroz's side who came closest to breaking the deadlock.
Unfortunately for England, although, entirely deserved, they did not secure knockout football with this evening's draw.
That also extends to the remainder of the day, with Croatia taking on Panama at midnight British time.
No result in that game could possibly have the kind of positive effects that England were hoping tonight to create for themselves.
Win, lose or draw for either of the other two Group L sides tonight, England are still not guaranteed to progress to the knockouts.
However, England can still claim top spot with a win against Panama, provided that Ghana don't upset Croatia in the group's final game.
In the event that both Ghana and England win their respective face-offs, the top spot would be decided by a newly-introduced set of criteria.
What will sting for England, however, is that, using that set of criteria, a win vs Ghana would likely have been enough to secure the top position and have mathematically sealed progression.
For now, England will hit the training ground, with knockout football still to play for in their deciding Group L clash vs Panama.
