Bellingham, Kane fire England to 2-0 win over Panama
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored second-half goals as England beat Panama 2-0 to win Group L at the 2026 World Cup, setting up a last-32 tie with Senegal.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were made to work hard for the points against a stubborn Panama side sitting deep, and the breakthrough did not arrive until the 62nd minute. Bellingham swept the ball home with his left foot from Bukayo Saka’s corner to open the scoring, before turning provider five minutes later. He laid the ball on a plate for Kane, who duly nodded past Orlando Mosquera to double England’s advantage and put the result beyond doubt.
It was a frustrating watch for long periods, with England struggling to find a way through a well-organised Panama defence in the first half. England managed just two shots on target and an expected goals total of 0.49 by the break, hardly the response Thomas Tuchel had wanted after a goalless draw with Ghana in their previous outing. Pickford was forced into a big save at his near post from Jose Luis Rodriguez as Panama threatened on the counter on more than one occasion, with Tuchel’s defence looking shaky at times.
England were a different proposition after the restart, though. All four of England’s big chances arrived in the second period, along with two-thirds of their overall expected goals total, and Bellingham’s intervention proved decisive. The Real Madrid midfielder was the standout performer on the night, adding to the goal he scored against Croatia in the group opener with a strike and an assist that put the game to bed.
Panama, who had already been eliminated from contention before kick-off, pushed for something to take from the game and thought they had pulled one back when Davis freed Fajardo behind the England defence, only for the offside flag to deny them. It summed up their tournament. Panama finished the group stage without scoring a single goal, the first side to manage that at a World Cup in 16 years.
England almost added a third late on when Noni Madueke was played through by Morgan Rogers and drove a fierce effort towards the bottom corner, only for Mosquera to produce a smart save to keep the scoreline at 2-0.
The win means England finish top of Group L and will face Senegal in the round of 32, while Croatia’s 2-1 win over Ghana sees them occupy second, with Ghana settling for third and elimination.
