Declan Rice issues England rallying cry as Ghana draw blows group wide open | OneFootball

Arsenal star insists Three Lions will not let their heads go down after frustrating evening in Boston

Declan Rice insists England are keeping their heads up despite being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Ghana on Tuesday.

After impressing in their World Cup opener last week with a 4-2 defeat of Croatia, England looked laboured as they struggled to break down the Black Stars’ low block.

They did not manage a shot on target in the first half, but saw several chances go begging in the second, with captain Harry Kane firing over from close range at the death.

"It is always difficult when you play against 11 behind the ball as deep as they were, but you have to find solutions,” he said. “In the last 10 minutes, we were unlucky not to score.

Declan Rice put in an impressive performance against Ghana

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"We still have a great chance to top the group against Panama, so positivity all round.

“They were very compact, 5-4-1 off the ball and tight spaces to play through, but on the other hand we can do more with the ball.

"You have to give credit to Ghana. It's tough and they are good players so it was never going to be an easy game. We have one more group game to top the group so we have to be positive.

Centre-back Marc Guehi was recalled for the match, alongside Tottenham’s Djed Spence, and echoed Rice’s call after putting in a firm defensive performance.

“It's so important to put things into perspective,” he told BBC Sport. “That's what life's about. On another day we win the game and everyone's buzzing.

“The main thing is the performance was good, the performance, we looked like a team that wanted to score, that had chances to score goals and it's important we learn from this game and build.

“You can see at the end of the game what it meant to them, so I think it's important to give credit to them. I think it's important to put things into perspective, learn and move forward.”