USA HELD ENGLAND TO A SCORELESS DRAW IN THE WORLD CUP IN QATAR

With a 0-0 draw against the USA, England moved closer to securing a spot in the World Cup knockout rounds, but their lacklustre performance served as a wake-up call to their expectations for the competition, and it means they will have to wait until their final group game against Wales on Tuesday to do so.

Only a loss against Wales by four goals or more would keep Group B leaders England from moving on, but Southgate will have to answer concerns about the significant decline in his team's play and how they can find their form again for the competition's business phase.

After England's 6-2 thrashing of Iran in their opening match in Qatar, its fans were upbeat about the team's progress since their march to the Euro final last year. However, by the time the game was over, the visiting supporters were booing because Gareth Southgate's squad was behind and lacking cohesion against the spirited US team.

The only attempts by the toothless Three Lions attack to trouble the USA were Harry Kane's blocked shot at the beginning of the game and his wide header from Luke Shaw's free kick in stoppage time of the second half.

While Iran, whom they play on Tuesday, is ahead of USA by one point in Group B, USA is in third place. The 16th round would be reached with a victory.