Harry kane became England’s all-time World Cup goalscorer but it was Jude Bellingham who inspired Thomas Tuchel’s side to top spot in Group L as he grabbed a goal and an assist to secure a 2-0 victory over Panama.
After a sluggish first half at MetLife Stadium, in which Panama caused England plenty of problems on the counter-attack, Bellingham took control of the game and proved to be the difference maker as he broke the deadlock with a smart finish (62) before teeing up Harry Kane (67) as he went out on his own as the Three Lions’ leading scorer at World Cups.
Bellingham’s performance impressed Sky Sports’ Gary Neville. “Bellingham is an absolute superstar and our best player in this game by a mile,” Neville said on ITV. “He is the one player who looks in-form, he looks fresh, he’s sharp and playing at the level you would expect.
A good performance, we’re happy he’s in this kind of shape. But everyone did what they needed to do. Jude was a big part of it.
While England, who were already guaranteed of a place in the knockout phase following Friday’s fixtures, dominated the ball in the first half, they struggled in the final third. With Croatia leading Ghana 1-0 and heading for top spot in the group, the pressure was on for Tuchel’s side to deliver after the break.
Not for the first time in his England career, it was Bellingham who delivered, poking home Bukayo Saka’s corner to find the breakthrough that was so desperately needed.
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England fans celebrate the 2-0 win over Panama in Manchester and Brighton fan parks
Bellingham then turned provider five minutes later as Kane headed home his inch perfect cross for his 11th World Cup goal to break Gary Lineker’s long-standing record as England sealed top spot to set what looks like a potential last-32 showdown with Senegal or DR Congo.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham scored as England finally shook off Panama to top their World Cup group
The key moments from New York…
- 31: GOAL! Petar Sukic gave Croatia the lead against Ghana, meaning England needed a goal to take top spot in group
- 62: GOAL! England did respond in second half as Bellingham broke deadlock from Saka’s corner
- 67: GOAL! A second goal in five minutes for England as Bellingham’s cross teed up Kane for his 11th goal for England at World Cups.
- FT: England’s win means they top Group L, with Croatia qualifying in second and Ghana reaching the last eight in third
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Lee Hendrie reflects on England’s 2-0 win over Panama and believes that Thomas Tuchel’s side must improve defensively as attention now turns to the World Cup knockouts.
‘England will now have to step up’
Sky Sports’ Gary Neville on ITV:
“Tuchel just said, ‘we will step up, the bigger the games’. They’re going to have to. He won’t be walking off that pitch and thinking everything is perfect right now.
“They’ve got to get together in the next four days, get Declan Rice back in the team, get the back four more solid.”
Sky Sports’ Roy Keane on ITV:
“It wasn’t pretty, far from it.
“I still don’t think Tuchel has a clue what his best XI is.”
“England’s top players eventually turned up in the second half in Bellingham and Kane. They’re huge players for them, that’s what you want in these tight games.”
‘The bigger the game, the bigger we’ll be’
England boss Thomas Tuchel to ITV:
“We did what was needed. It was a tough match. It was difficult to score. We were the only team to score twice against them. We were aggressive and careful with the counter-attacks – we deserved to win but it was a hard piece of work.
“It’s an aggressive approach that we take. You have to defend your one-on-ones. But the tournament starts again now in knockouts. Now we collect our strength and energy. We build our team spirit and belief. We will step up, the bigger the games get the bigger we’ll be.”
