Thomas Tuchel’s England would secure a 1-1 draw with Uruguay at Wembley with Ben White being central to the key events in the game.
The inclusion of White in the squad for the first time in four years sparked controversy given the defender's contentious history with England under former manager Gareth Southgate.
White was selected for his national team for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but he would leave the camp citing personal reasons; however, it was later revealed that a disagreement with England’s assistant manager at the time, Steve Holland, led to the departure before he made himself unavailable for selection.
Upon his return to action, he was booed by several fans in Wembley, as they voiced their frustration at him being brought back into the squad.
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This seemed to have little to no impact upon the Arsenal defender as he became central to the result of the game as he scored England’s goal in the 81st minute.
This looked to have been the winning goal for the Three Lions, as Uruguay had not had a shot on target until this point, but a late controversial penalty would give the visitors the chance to equalise in the 94th minute.
Federico Valverde slotted home from the spot to make it 1-1 after the referee awarded a penalty after consulting with VAR following White’s mistimed challenge in the area.
Tuchel made it clear what he thought of the performance by his defender and gave his opinion on the fans that decided to demonstrate their frustration towards White and his return to England.
Speaking to ITV, he said: “He scored the winner, which was then not the winner; in the end he was a bit too greedy in his defensive actions. But still, I think it’s not a penalty. It would have been nice to keep the clean sheet and take another win, but it will not change my opinion on him.
“I hope so; it happened before to some players here, which is disappointing. I think it does not help anyone. I think it was mixed reactions; some cheered, some booed. I was not even aware of it until you told me now. I was in the tunnel; I didn’t hear it. But hopefully it’s settled.”
White and England will now turn their attention to Japan next week, as they play their final game on English soil ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
This may be the last chance for several players to impress Tuchel ahead of his squad announcement for the World Cup in the summer, and so this may be a great game for the neutral.
Brendan McGilligan