World Cup 2026: Ghana should’ve been awarded a penalty against England – Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney has criticized England defender Ezri Konsa’s “huge risk” during a highly controversial second-half moment that overshadowed England’s 0-0 World Cup draw against Ghana in Boston.

The incident occurred when Ghanaian substitute Prince Kwabena Adu broke clean through on goal.

Konsa lunged into a reckless, flying challenge inside the penalty box, completely wiping out the Ghanaian forward.

Despite furious appeals from Ghana, refereeing officials ruled that Adu was narrowly offside prior to the tackle, nullifying what would have been a certain penalty and a potential red card for the Aston Villa defender.

Speaking on punditry duty on the BBC, England’s all-time second-highest goalscorer did not hold back in his assessment of the defensive blunder.

“I think that’s a penalty,” Rooney said. “Konsa takes a huge risk. His feet are off the floor when he comes flying in and he gets the man, not the ball.”

The dramatic let-up spared Thomas Tuchel’s side from a disastrous defeat in their final Group L fixture, securing a tense scoreless draw.

However, the lucky escape has ignited intense debate over England’s defensive vulnerabilities moving forward in the tournament.