Soccer
Two Good, Two Bad: Panama 0-2 England
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England needed over an hour to break down an already-eliminated Panama side at MetLife Stadium, eventually running out 2–0 winners thanks to a decisive five-minute spell from Jude Bellingham.
The Real Madrid midfielder opened the scoring at 62 minutes from Bukayo Saka's corner, then provided the cross for Harry Kane's headed second at 67 minutes — a goal that took Kane to 11 World Cup goals, surpassing Gary Lineker as England's all-time leading scorer in the competition.
Panama had frustrated England throughout a goalless first half, with Orlando Mosquera making a string of saves, but once the set-piece breakthrough arrived, the resistance crumbled.
Thomas Christiansen's side pushed hard in the closing stages and had a José Fajardo goal disallowed for offside, yet their wait for a first World Cup point continues.
Panama 0-2 England: Two Things We Liked
1. Bellingham's five minutes of clarity
For all England's possession dominance, it was Jude Bellingham who eventually provided the sharpness the team had lacked.
His 62nd-minute finish from Saka's corner — stretching to guide the ball in with his left foot despite Jorge Gutiérrez's attempts to close him down — broke a frustrating deadlock that had persisted for over an hour.
Five minutes later, Bellingham delivered the cross from the left that Kane headed home.
The combination of goal and assist in such a concentrated spell transformed what had been a stodgy performance into a comfortable victory, and Bellingham was withdrawn at 71 minutes with his decisive work complete.
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2. Mosquera and Panama's hour of defiance
Already eliminated, Panama might have wilted against England's sustained pressure. Instead, they held firm for 62 minutes through compact defensive organisation and the goalkeeping of Orlando Mosquera.
The 25-year-old denied Marcus Rashford in the eighth minute, got across his goal to save Bukayo Saka's curling effort at 15 minutes, and kept out Harry Kane's strike at 57 minutes when the scoreline remained level.
Panama's backline restricted clear openings and repeatedly cleared crosses from the danger zone. It took a set-piece routine to finally break them, which in itself was a small victory for Christiansen's structure.
Panama 0-2 England: Two Things We Didn't Like
1. England's open-play struggles
Despite recording 72 per cent possession in the first half, England reached the interval without a goal and without a clear sense of how to unlock Panama's low block.
Rashford had chances — a shot saved at eight minutes, a header wide at 38, a free kick that shaved the post in stoppage time — but England's play through the middle lacked penetration, and their wide threat too often ended in crosses that found defenders rather than teammates.
The breakthrough came from a corner, not from patient construction or individual quality in the final third.
For all the rotation Thomas Tuchel employed, the performance raised questions about England's Plan B when opponents sit deep.
2. Panama's inability to find the net
Panama's late pressure deserved more than nothing.
Substitute Ismael Díaz had three attempts inside twenty minutes after entering at 71 minutes — a header over, a shot wide, and another effort that curled past the post at 90 minutes.
José Fajardo found the net at 90+2 minutes only for the assistant referee to raise his flag for offside, denying what would have been a historic first World Cup point.
Moments later, Éric Davis's cross narrowly evaded Fajardo at the far post as Jordan Pickford fumbled.
The chances were there; the finishing was not. Panama leave the tournament without a point, their competitive spirit ultimately unrewarded.
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