Harry Kane fires England to Group L glory after breaking World Cup record
England beat Panama 2-0 in New Jersey, topping Group L in the process. Jude Bellingham scored the opener before Harry Kane found the net to break Gary Lineker's England World Cup scoring record.
Panama 0-2 England
Goals: 0-1 Bellingham 62’ (assist: Saka), 0-2 Kane 67’ (assist: Bellingham)
England headed into their final Group L fixture at the top of the table, level on points with Ghana but with a superior goal difference. Thomas Tuchel made five changes to the side that drew with Ghana, with Bukayo Saka making his first start of the tournament after recovering from an Achilles problem.
Jarell Quansah came in at right-back in place of the injured Reece James, while Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers and Nico O'Reilly also started. Panama, already eliminated, made three changes of their own, with Fidel Escobar earning his 100th international cap on the occasion.
Panama made a lively start, with Tomas Rodriguez testing Jordan Pickford with a shot from distance in the very first minute. England gradually asserted control, with Rashford and Saka looking bright on the wings. Rashford cut inside onto his right foot and forced a decent stop from goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera at his near post in the eighth minute. Saka also had efforts saved and blocked, while Jude Bellingham saw a long-range shot drift wide.
Panama remained dangerous on the counter, with José Luis Rodríguez forcing Pickford into a strong near-post save in the 26th minute. Rashford headed over from an Anderson cross late on, and a free-kick from the Manchester United winger curled just wide in stoppage time. The sides went in level at the break, with England yet to create a clear-cut chance.
Panama made a half-time change, bringing on José Fajardo for Rodriguez. The second half began with more physical exchanges, and Fajardo was booked in the 53rd minute for pulling Ezri Konsa's shirt. Rashford went close with a shot that found the side-netting in the 55th minute, and Harry Kane had a shot well saved by Mosquera in the 57th minute.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 62nd minute: Bukayo Saka drove a low corner into the box and Jude Bellingham got his toe on the ball at the near post, converting into the bottom corner. England were ahead and back on top of Group L.
Just five minutes after Bellingham's opener, England doubled their lead. Bellingham stayed left and floated a lovely cross towards the far post, where Kane rose above Andres Andrade and directed a clever header into the top corner. The goal was Kane's 11th at a World Cup, taking him past Gary Lineker's record of ten to become England's all-time leading scorer at the tournament. It was also his 70th goal in 61 competitive matches for club and country this season, a record that is only bettered by the great Lionel Messi since the turn of the century.
Quansah, who had received a yellow card in the 61st minute, was replaced by Djed Spence, and Saka made way for Noni Madueke shortly after the second goal. Panama's Amir Murillo had a chance to pull one back but fired wide from a good position in the 64th minute.
Tuchel made further changes in the 71st minute, bringing on Eberechi Eze for the impressive Bellingham. Panama introduced Ismael Díaz and Azarias Londoño, and Díaz caused problems with several attempts on goal in the closing stages.
Andrade received a yellow card in the 84th minute, and Kane was replaced by Ollie Watkins and Elliot Anderson by Jordan Henderson at the same time. Fajardo had a goal disallowed for offside in stoppage time as Panama pushed for a consolation. England held on comfortably to claim all three points and top spot in Group L.
