World Cup
Tuchel: Rice's injury minor after England beat Croatia
Declan Rice was forced off in the 72nd minute of England's 2-0 win over Croatia, but manager Thomas Tuchel said the midfielder's injury is not serious and expects him to be available for the next match against Ghana and will recover fully.
Rice left the pitch limping after two of his corners had produced goals for England. The substitution came earlier than planned, with the Arsenal midfielder exiting in the 72nd minute.
Thomas Tuchel confirmed he had not intended to replace Rice but observed discomfort when the player pointed to his lower back and upper hamstring. “Declan has some unusual ball losses and I saw a bit of discomfort,” Tuchel said, adding that Rice indicated pain in those areas.
Tuchel added that he did not want to take any risks with the midfielder. “I didn’t want to take any risks,” he explained, noting that “if I take Declan off, which I never want to do, but it was the moment to protect him. I think Reece James did so well in central midfield.”
Rice himself reassured reporters that the issue was minor. “Yeah, all good, good as gold,” he told the media, saying the lingering neural pains from the season were “just precaution” and that he will be back against Ghana.
England face Ghana on Tuesday, 23 June, at 21:00 BST, before meeting Panama on Saturday, 27 June, at 22:00 BST. Both fixtures are part of the World Cup group stage.
A win for England and either a draw or victory for Croatia against Panama would secure top spot for England via the head‑to‑head tiebreaker. Even if England were to lose to Panama, the head‑to‑head advantage would keep England ahead.