Harry Kane's costly late miss in England's goalless World Cup draw against Ghana has reignited debate over a remarkable pre-match claim by Ghanaian spiritualist Nana Kwaku Bonsam.
The England captain squandered a golden opportunity in the closing stages of Tuesday's Group L clash in Boston as the Three Lions were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw.
The result left England and Ghana level on four points, with Thomas Tuchel's side remaining top of the group on goal difference.
Ahead of the match, Bonsam had reportedly claimed he had placed a curse on Kane to prevent him from scoring against Ghana.
Following the draw, many Ghanaian fans jokingly credited the spiritualist for the striker's rare off night in front of goal.
England entered the contest full of confidence after a 4-2 victory over Croatia, but despite dominating 78.8 per cent of possession, they failed to break down Ghana's disciplined defence.
Their best chance arrived late in the second half when Nico O'Reilly's powerful header crashed against the crossbar. The rebound fell kindly to Kane just six yards out, but the Bayern Munich striker blazed his effort over the bar. The chance would have secured victory and moved Kane past Gary Lineker's England World Cup scoring record of 10 goals.
According to a post shared by African Facts Zone on X, Bonsam claimed he had ensured Kane would fail to find the net. While there is no evidence supporting the claim, the striker's glaring miss fuelled online speculation and humour.
"You go through games like that. I was just there waiting for an opportunity like that to fall my way," Kane said after the match. "But, yeah, I'm backing myself to score that more often than not. I've been a striker long enough to know they don't always go in, so I have to accept it."
The story took another twist after the match when Bonsam uploaded a Facebook video performing rituals, claiming he was prepared to "release" Kane.
"I am the most powerful spiritualist in the whole world. Now I am going to release Harry Kane so that in his next match he can score a goal," Bonsam said, adding, "Harry, I will come and visit you, ok. We are brothers. I love you so much."
England next face Panama on June 27, with Kane eager to put the miss behind him.