England beat Panama 2-0 to top Group L and reach World Cup last 32

New Jersey: Harry Kane's record-breaking goal after Jude Bellingham's opener helped England to a 2-0 win over Panama at the FIFA World Cup 2026 to secure their position at the top of Group L.Panama frustrated England in the first half. It was Bellingham who provided the key, holding off his marker and prodding in on the volley from Bukayo Saka's corner after 62 minutes. The England No. 10 then crossed for Harry Kane to head his 11th World Cup goal, one more than previous record-holder Gary Lineker.The first major chance for England came eight minutes in, when Marcus Rashford cut onto his right foot and fired towards the near corner, only for Orlando Mosquera to get a strong hand behind it.In the 26th minute, already-eliminated Panama reminded England of the threat they posed, as Jose Luis Rodriguez unleashed a powerful shot that stung Jordan Pickford’s palms. Carlos Harvey swept another effort into the side netting.FIFA World Cup 2026: Why Is Lionel Messi Not Playing For Argentina Against Jordan? The Three Lions began to zip the ball around in the final third, eventually finding one of Nico O'Reilly's box-crashing runs, but he couldn’t get the requisite power. Elliot Anderson could, but his shot from range was straight down Mosquera’s throat.Anderson then found Rashford at the far post, but the Mancunian couldn’t keep his head down. In first-half stoppage time, his whipped free-kick flew just past the base of the right post, as England headed to the dressing rooms at 0-0. Just five minutes after the break, England came their closest yet, with Kane unable to muddle home a cross as two Panamanians scrambled the ball over from beneath their own crossbar instead. Rashford was set loose down the left flank but fired just wide rather than finding another man in the middle.Panama then fired another warning shot as J. Rodriguez curled just over from a promising counter-attack. Kane looked to respond immediately when set clean through, but his fierce shot was central enough for Mosquera to make another big save.'Acted Out Of Frustration': Spain's Nico Williams Hits Out At Uruguay Star For Causing Him 'Injury' During FIFA World Cup 2026 Just after the hour mark, the breakthrough finally came as Bellingham flung an instinctive left foot at Saka’s corner to divert the ball home to register his second goal of the tournament. Just four minutes later, he turned provider, scooping a cross in from the left wing that was met by Kane, who planted his header across the keeper. The game became slightly stretched as the clock ticked toward 90 minutes. Substitute Noni Madueke was unlucky to see his effort saved after Morgan Rogers’ cute through ball.Panama then raced towards the other end through Jose Fajardo, who beat Pickford expertly, but the goal was ruled out for a marginal offside.The forward almost latched on to another ball, but his diving header proved futile. Panama went home from the World Cup as the only goalless side, while England moved through to the knockouts.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Thomas Tuchel says Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham proved once again why they are key players for England, after both men scored in a 2-0 win over Panama which sees Tuchel's team win Group L at the 2026 World Cup.

England secured top spot in Group L with a convincing 2-0 win over Panama, thanks to second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. Bellingham broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute, followed by Kane's record-breaking 11th World Cup goal five minutes later. This victory sets England up for a more favorable knockout stage draw, avoiding early clashes with major contenders.

EAST RUTHERFORD, United States (AFP) — Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored second-half goals as England got the job done against Panama at the World Cup on Saturday, a 2-0 victory at the MetLife Stadium taking Thomas Tuchel's team into the last 32 as Group L winners. Real Madrid star Bellingham got on the end of a Bukayo Saka corner to break the deadlock just after the hour mark on a soggy day in New Jersey. It was largely uninspiring stuff up to that point, but the opening goal had been coming and Bellingham then crossed for Kane to head in the second midway through the second half. That was Kane's third goal of the tournament after he netted a brace in the opening 4-2 win over Croatia, and the England captain has now moved clear of Gary Lineker as his country's all-time leading World Cup scorer with 11. Three of those goals came when England thrashed Panama 6-1 at the 2018 tournament in Russia, but the Three Lions did not have things quite so easy this time against hard-working but limited opponents. Questions were perhaps being asked about England's World Cup prospects an hour into this match, following the goalless draw against Ghana in Boston last Tuesday. They have not yet reached the same heights again as in their victory against Croatia, but England advance to the next round on top of the group with seven points out of a possible nine. Topping the section is important, as it means they avoid a possible clash with Spain in the last 16. Instead they will head to Atlanta for a tie next Wednesday, July 1 against a third-placed team. Win that, and they will be off to Mexico City in the last 16, possibly to play Mexico, in the Azteca Stadium where they lost to Diego Maradona's Argentina in 1986. Tuchel will not be getting carried away thinking that far ahead, and there is surely a lot for England still to do before they are truly ready to take on and beat the tournament's other heavyweights. That said, it is unlikely they will come up against any more sides who play with such a low defensive block as Ghana did, and as Panama did for much of this contest. The Central American nation, ranked 34th in the world, competed well but created few chances and have still never won a point at the tournament. They lost all three group games at their debut World Cup in 2018, and go out after losing all three matches this time — all without scoring, with this result following 1-0 reverses against Ghana and Croatia. Tuchel made five changes to his line-up following the Ghana encounter, notably choosing to rest Declan Rice from the midfield. Marcus Rashford and Saka got their first starts of the World Cup on the wings. Rashford forced a good save from Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera inside the opening 10 minutes, and later headed over an Elliot Anderson cross before curling a free-kick just past in first-half stoppage time. Panama did also threaten once in the opening period, when Jordan Pickford had to get down to stop a Jose Luis Rodriguez shot at his near post. England were pedestrian before the break, but the match started to open up for them following the restart. Jose Cordoba nearly forced an own goal when his clearance came off teammate Andres Andrade and went narrowly over, and Mosquera then denied Kane. A goal was beginning to feel inevitable and it arrived on 62 minutes as Bellingham held off Jorge Gutierrez at Saka's corner to turn the ball in. That was his second goal of the competition, and he then turned provider for Kane to make sure of the win. Jose Fajardo then thought he had a late consolation for Panama, but his effort was disallowed for offside. It has probably been England's least remarkable group-stage showing at a World Cup since 2014, when they went out in the first round. This time, however, they are safely through.

Goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane help England secure a 2-0 win over Panama, as Thomas Tuchel's side qualify for the World Cup last 32 as winners of Group L.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham celebrate after combining for England's second goal against Panama in New Jersey. Photo: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Vincent Carchietta Jude Bellingham dragged England out of a rainy New Jersey grind on Saturday, scoring one goal and creating another for Harry Kane as Thomas Tuchel's side beat Panama 2-0 to top Group L and avoid a nervy route through the World Cup knockout phase.