England secured their place in the last 32 of the World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Panama on Saturday at the MetLife Stadium. Jude Bellingham scored the opening goal from a Bukayo Saka corner just after the hour mark, followed by Harry Kane’s header midway through the second half.
This win was England’s third in the tournament for Kane, surpassing Gary Lineker as the country’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with 11 goals. Three of these came against Panama in their 6-1 victory at the 2018 Russia tournament.
The match began cautiously, but it picked up pace after halftime. Kane scored his second goal of the tournament following a brace in the opening game against Croatia. England now leads Group L with seven points out of nine possible.
England’s next tie is set for July 1st against a third-placed team in Atlanta. A win would see them off to Mexico City, possibly to face Mexico at the Azteca Stadium where they lost to Diego Maradona’s Argentina in 1986.
The Central American nation, ranked 34th globally, struggled throughout the match but managed to create few scoring opportunities. Panama has never won a point in any of their World Cup matches, losing all three group games at their debut tournament in 2018 and continuing the trend this time.