England manager Thomas Tuchel defended Jude Bellingham after the midfielder was involved in a heated row with Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz at half-time of Tuesday's goalless draw.

Bellingham had to be pulled away by team-mate Morgan Rogers as he engaged with the Ghana coach and his backroom staff.

It came shortly after a foul when Bellingham shoved Jerome Opoku and tensions spilled over after the referee had blown for half-time.

The fall-out continued as players and coaches walked across the field to the tunnel at Boston Stadium.

"It was an exchange of emotions, and Jude stood up for himself and his team," said Tuchel.

"Emotions are a part of the game but we don't want to get distracted with stuff that could distract us."

No cards were shown in the aftermath and tensions appeared to have settled down by the time the second half resumed.

"He had a bad reaction with some bad names and that's why the story started," Queiroz said.

The draw keeps England top of Group L - and they are guaranteed to qualify for the last 32 if they avoid defeat against Panama on Saturday.

Bellingham, 22, became the youngest England player to reach 50 caps in Boston but was unable to help the Three Lions build on their opening 4-2 win over Croatia.

Ghana spent large periods sitting in a defensive shape and ultimately managed to keep Tuchel's side at bay.

Bellingham, who was sent off for using foul and abusive language when playing for Real Madrid in February, was keen to play down the incident.

"It was just when I made a silly tackle, to be honest," Bellingham said.

"I was trying to try to win the ball, and I followed through a little bit and caught the lad. I spoke to him after, and then their bench jumped up trying to get me a yellow card.

"I think their manager [Queiroz] I just recognised him. He's obviously the one who used to be at Manchester United, so great respect, and nothing but a competitive edge for both of us."

Bellingham's place in England's starting XI was far from certain before the World Cup began, with Tuchel saying he had to fight for his position.

The relationship between the pair has frequently come under scrutiny, with Tuchel describing Bellingham's on-field behaviour during last June's defeat by Senegal as "repulsive" - a remark Tuchel later apologised for.

In November, Tuchel said he would "review" Bellingham's behaviour after his reaction to being substituted during a qualifier against Albania.

Bellingham started and scored against Croatia before being named player of the match in the draw with Ghana.

But after winning that award, he told the BBC: "I didn't deserve it, to be honest. It probably should've gone to one of their lads who defended so well.

"Had a couple of moments but couldn't get in the game. I'm grateful to whoever voted."