Jude Bellingham was an outstanding player for England. (Image: Getty)
England, led by Thomas Tuchel, defeated Panama 2-0 and advanced to the final tournament as group winners. Although it wasn’t a perfect performance, England did enough to secure a seemingly “easy” path to next month’s final.
The Three Lions needed a strong response after their poor performance against Ghana, but a goalless first half meant England struggled once again. Panama’s defense was solid and Bukayo Saka’s formidable attack and Marcus Rashford’s header saw the 1996 champions come close to taking the lead.
As against Croatia, England recovered in the second half, but it was once again set-pieces that did the damage. Bukayo Saka’s whipped cross found Jude Bellingham inside the penalty area and the midfielder scored the opening goal. One quickly became two and Bellingham now turned provider, crossing into the box for Harry Kane to do the rest. Despite a number of late chances, the score remained 2-0 and England will now await their Round of 32 opponents in Atlanta on Wednesday.
I didn’t need to save, but would it hurt to touch before trying to pass? Too often the shot-stopper would steal the ball with a long hoof-clap even though he was under no pressure at all.
The former Liverpool ace started after Reece James was injured in the build-up. However, the 22-year-old was unable to last 90 seconds as he was substituted due to a suspected injury. This could be a big headache for Tuchel heading into the finals.
I’m not sure he’s a perfect fit for a hyper-aggressive high line, considering Panama was taken behind at times. That said, he contributed defensively when needed and recorded back-to-back clean sheets.
One of the few players to feature in all three group matches, the Aston Villa ace, like his partner Marc Guehy, looked like he was going to make a mistake at times, but he wasn’t really stress-tested with his back against the wall.
Strangely, he was left out of the squad against Ghana, which was to England’s detriment. Although the youngster hasn’t had much of an impact, having a full-back in the team seems to have made England’s left side more fluid.
With Declan Rice not at risk of starting, he had the unenviable task of manning the midfield all by himself. The soon-to-be Manchester City star was on hand in the middle of the park to clear out any danger.
When England need someone to come up with a bit of magic, this guy often shows up in the right place and that was the case with New Jersey. The outstretched leg of England’s number 10 was enough to break the deadlock. It was yet another former Birmingham treasure who crossed into the box with a header from Kane.
He was brought into the starting XI to inject some creativity into the England team, but struggled to get on the ball in the first half. That carried over into the second half, and we couldn’t really push ourselves.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were on England’s scoresheet. (Image: Getty)
The Arsenal man made his first start in this summer’s tournament and looked the most active of England’s forwards, but his final product was not quite there.
The first half was unusually quiet, leading people to wonder if the curse had returned to him. Things changed completely in the second half when the Bayern Munich man scored his third goal of the tournament.
He was a player that many were eager to sign before kick-off, but he was also a man of flattery and deceit. They came close to scoring the first goal with a header, but their touch was not good in the second half.
He was brought on immediately after the opener and played a huge role on the right flank, but lacked the composure needed when he broke behind the defense in the closing stages.
He may have felt it was tough when he was put on the bench, but he was called up midway through the second half. He will likely start at right-back in Wednesday’s round of 32 game.
The situation continued to change in the middle of the park, and a shot that was narrowly deflected could be seen falling into the net.
He came off the bench to keep Kane’s legs fresh. I really couldn’t see the goal.
