England Beats Panama 2–0, Wins Group as Kane Sets World Cup Goal Record for His Nation

Jude Bellingham notched a goal and an assist to lead England past Panama in its final match of Group L play and help boost team captain Harry Kane to the top of their nation’s World Cup scoring list.

The first score came in the 62nd minute. Bukayo Saka’s pinpointed corner kick found Bellingham in front of the goal. He was tightly marked but managed to get his left toe to the ball and poke it into the net.

Five minutes later, Bellingham provided a cross from the left side into the path of Kane, who initially waited in front of the right goal post but created a slight space between him and the Panama defense to head the ball past goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera.

Kane scored his 11th World Cup goal for England, surpassing Gary Lineker’s 10. Kane has played in three consecutive World Cups so far and was awarded the Golden Boot as the tournament goal leader in 2018, when he scored six, three of them against Panama.

The pro-England crowd at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, erupted.

The first half was scoreless. Panama was compact on defense as England wingers Saka and Marcus Rashford consistently lost the ball due to missed shots, passes that didn’t connect with teammates, or successful tackles from their opponents.

In the first 45 minutes, Panama players held England to just two shots on target, and had two shots on target themselves, though England controlled the possession and passing.

Panama’s best chance came in second-half stoppage time, when striker José Fajardo got behind England’s back line, collected a through ball, sprinted to the middle, and ripped a shot past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. But the goal was ruled offside. The video-assisted referee technology showed that he was just one step behind the last English defender when he collected the ball.

England finished the match with six on-target attempts on goal, compared to Panama’s two. Panama’s best statistic was 33 forced turnovers by its defense, compared to England’s 25.

England previously beat Croatia 4–2, with two goals from Kane, and tied Ghana 0–0. Panama lost to all three teams in the group without scoring a goal.

England, the nation that invented soccer, heads into the knockout round determined to reclaim the cup after 60 years. It won the cup once, in 1966, beating West Germany 4–2 at Wembley Stadium in London.

England begins the knockout phase in Atlanta on July 1. At the end of Saturday’s match, the squad was still awaiting official word on the next opponent, with a strong likelihood of Senegal or Congo, both third-place finishers in their respective groups.

Panama coach Thomas Christiansen said his team played world-class defense in this tournament and can expect better results in future World Cups, as its top young players gained valuable exposure and will be recruited by bigger club teams in other countries.

“I’m proud of the way we competed,” he said through a FIFA interpreter during the post-game press conference. “If we played these types of matches every month, I’m sure we’d improve.”

England coach Thomas Tuchel said his squad performed well considering Panama’s strong defense, physical play, and fast counterattacks. This experience managing a tough, tight game will strengthen the team going forward, he added.

“Tomorrow, we will think about the round of 32,” he said during the post-game press conference.