Wayne Rooney accused Argentine referee Facundo Raul of a serious error during Canada’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Group B encounter in Toronto saw Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj charge towards forward Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi before hitting the deck after the keeper’s two fists made contact with the back of his head.

However, Raul declined to classify the incident as “serious foul play” and opted against dismissing the St. Pauli shot-stopper. During post-match analysis, Rooney was adamant that a penalty and a red card should have been issued to the goalkeeper during the opening fixture for the co-hosts. Former Premier League official and BBC refereeing expert Cann offered his explanation for why Raul made the call in the second half, stating: “First of all, offside was given. But even without the offside, in my opinion, it’s not a penalty, and it’s not a red card.

“The goalkeeper clearly plays the ball first and there’s just inevitable contact after that, so it’s not serious foul play. The ‘keeper clearly wins the ball and for me, that’s clearly not a red card.”

Rooney, however, hit back: “It’s a red card. Even though he’s offside, we’ve seen it before where players have gone through as offside or the whistle has gone and a still a red card. It’s very dangerous play. I know he wins the ball, but he follows through.

“He hits him in the temple – that’s the worst place you can get hit. You can get knocked out. He might come back in a week’s time and have a delayed concussion. Look at his neck – that a clear red card. You see players win the ball and it’s with a reasonable force. They follow through and then they get a red card. It’s exactly the same but with his hands, it’s easier to move your hands back than it is your leg.”

Cann hit back, arguing: “Not in my opinion at all, Wayne. It’s a goalkeeper winning the ball, and there’s just inevitable contact. There’s no brutality in that challenge.”

Former France and Arsenal frontman Olivier Giroud also waded into the debate, commenting: “As a striker, I would have been frustrated to not get a penalty on that one. On the other hand, I understand what Darren says. You hit the ball first and it is hard for him to get his hands off the striker’s head.”

England have confirmed that Alex Scott, Ethan Nwaneri, Rio Ngumoha and Josh King have all departed the squad following their involvement in the World Cup warm-up fixtures. Head coach Thomas Tuchel opted to include the four youngsters to strengthen the numbers during the squad’s stint in Florida.

England are due to travel to their base in Kansas City on Saturday as they turn their attention to their tournament opener against Croatia on Wednesday night (9pm). In the build-up to the game, the team has taken part in three warm-up matches. The Three Lions emerged victorious with a 1-0 win over New Zealand last Saturday, before following that up with a commanding 3-0 victory over Costa Rica on Wednesday night.

The third fixture was a behind-closed-doors friendly against Miami FC at England’s training base, with reports suggesting the side ran out 6-0 winners, with both Nwaneri and Ngumoha getting their names on the scoresheet. In a post on England’s official social media channels, a photograph of all four players was shared alongside a message reading: “An important part of our preparations so far. Thanks to Alex Scott, Ethan Nwaneri, Rio Ngumoha and Josh King who depart at the conclusion of our camp in Florida.”

Upon confirming the four players joining the squad, Tuchel outlined the rationale behind the selection. “We will take some young players out who will train with us in the size of the squad that we need, and we have the two friendly matches to take care of the minutes and the load on the players,” he said.

“I’m happy to have these players, especially Alex (Scott) who was on the list of 55 and obviously he didn’t make the first cut but the reaction of him was outstanding and the commitment and wish to be in pre-camp and a step closer to the team was not even a question for him.

“That showed me his character and I’m delighted he’ll be with us because that was a close call and he gets a chance to get a step closer and a cap.”

All four players will be looking to build upon their experience when they rejoin their clubs during pre-season. Should they continue to shine in the Premier League, further England call-ups will undoubtedly follow in due course.

And so, boasting 74% possession and 10 shots to Haiti’s none, Scotland made their long-awaited return to the World Cup with an authoritative, if not spectacular, victory.

Here’s hoping EA FC 26 got this one right when the real-life final whistle sounds at around 4am tomorrow.