Bellingham And Kane Fire England To 2-0 Win Over Panama and Group L Top Spot
England closed out the group stage with a 2-0 victory over Panama, sealing top spot in Group L thanks to goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. The result guarantees the Three Lions head into the knockout rounds seeded, and sets up a Round of 32 clash with DR Congo in Atlanta.
Kane’s strike was the headline. The England captain’s goal took him to 11 World Cup goals, making him England’s all-time top scorer at the tournament. It came amid plenty of noise off the pitch after Ghanaian spiritualist Nana Kwaku Bonsam was linked to a supposed “curse.” Kane said he never let it affect him.
🗣️ “I heard all the stories over the last few days, but I never let any of it get into my head,” Kane said. “In football, people will always have something to say. One day it’s criticism, the next day it’s talk of a curse. I don’t focus on any of that.”
“My job is simple — lead England, score goals and help the team win matches. Tonight we did exactly that. Scoring tonight was important, not just for me personally, but because it helped England take another step forward in this tournament.”
Bellingham: “Today, I genuinely feel I earned it”
Bellingham opened the scoring and added an assist, a performance that earned him the Man of the Match award. After refusing the honour following the Ghana game, the midfielder said this time felt different.
🗣️ “After the Ghana game, I said I didn’t think I deserved the Man of the Match award. But today, I genuinely feel I earned it. I scored, I got an assist, I worked hard for the team, and most importantly, we won the game.”
He credited England’s review of the Ghana match for the improvement. “We spent a lot of time watching and rewatching the Ghana match. We looked at everything we got wrong. Today you saw the result of that work. We moved the ball quicker, we created better chances and we were much more composed in front of goal. Now the real tournament begins. The knockout rounds are where every mistake is punished.”
Tuchel: “The tournament starts again now”
Head coach Thomas Tuchel praised England’s patience against a “physical” Panama side. “We were the only team to create this amount of chances and score twice against them. We deserved to win, but it was hard work,” he said.
On Bellingham: “Good performance again. We’re happy he’s in this kind of shape, but everyone did what they needed to do.” On Kane’s record: “Good… now more. Let’s build.”
Looking ahead, Tuchel was clear. “The tournament starts again now. We’ll collect our strengths, collect our energy and step up for the bigger games.”
