Jude Bellingham finished with a 9.3 rating, scored once and set up one more as England beat Panama 2-0 to finish top of Group L with 4 points. The decisive spell came just after the hour, when Bellingham scored in the 62nd minute and then assisted Harry Kane five minutes later. Kane's goal also took him to 11 World Cup goals, moving him beyond Gary Lineker.

Bellingham took over when England needed it

For long spells this was not a fluent England performance. Then Bellingham gave it shape.

He broke the game in the space of five minutes, first with the opener in the 62nd minute and then with the pass for Kane to make it 2-0 in the 67th. A goal and an assist is the obvious headline, but the rating tells the same story. Bellingham's 9.3 was comfortably England's best return on the night.

Gary Neville's verdict on Sky Sports was blunt enough: "Bellingham is an absolute superstar and our best player in this game by a mile".

That feels fair. Kane scored and finished with a 7.3 rating, which is a good night's work for a striker, but this was Bellingham's match. He was the player who turned a flat game into a controlled one and made sure England did not leave Group L with another frustrating draw.

The result settled the group as well. England finished top with 4 points from 2 matches, with 1 win, 1 draw and a goal difference of +2. In a tournament group stage, that part matters more than style.

Kane's record and the right-back concern

Kane still left with a landmark of his own. His goal against Panama moved him to 11 World Cup goals, past Lineker's 10, and gave England the cushion that removed any late tension.

It rounded off a strong night for the two players who did the damage, but the game did not clear up everything around Thomas Tuchel's side. The right-back position remains awkward.

Jarell Quansah was booked in the 60th minute and replaced by Djed Spence in the 63rd. Some reports pushed the injury angle harder than others, so it is safer to say his night ended with both a yellow card and concern around his condition rather than treat the substitution as fully explained. He had played 63 minutes and was rated 7.2 before going off.

Neville did not like the selection call before kick-off. Speaking on ITV, he said: "The one position I think I am pretty qualified to speak on is right back and if you had said to me a couple of months ago that Quansah would be playing right-back for England in a tournament, I would say something has gone badly wrong".

Tuchel's response has been to widen the pool. He said: "We will find solutions. The thinking of calling Chalobah to free up Quansah on the right full-back position for us. I saw him playing very strongly there playing for Liverpool and he played enough in a back three – which is not so far from the position – in Leverkusen. And we have Djed Spence. Konsa played in that right-back position as well for us on a high level. No problem. We would love to have Reece as a key player, but he's not available."

That is a manager listing options rather than sounding fully settled. Reece James being unavailable is the obvious issue, and Tuchel also referenced Trevoh Chalobah while Neville argued Spence was the only real option there going deeper into the tournament.

The draw ahead is still slightly blurred

The win in Panama vs England confirmed first place in the group, but the next opponent is not universally reported the same way. Some coverage pointed to Senegal, while other reports suggested DR Congo depending on later group results.

What is clear is England go into the knockout phase with Bellingham in form, Kane adding another scoring record, and a right side that still needs sorting. Those are the main takeaways from a 2-0 win that got the group job done.

FAQ

Why was Jude Bellingham the key player in England vs Panama?

Bellingham produced the decisive stretch of the match. He scored in the 62nd minute, then assisted Harry Kane five minutes later as England beat Panama 2-0. He also finished with a 9.3 rating, the top figure in the game, and Gary Neville called him England's best player by a mile.

Did Harry Kane break an England World Cup scoring record against Panama?

Yes. Kane scored once in the 2-0 win over Panama, and that goal took him to 11 World Cup goals. That moved him ahead of Gary Lineker's 10, adding another milestone on a night when England finished top of Group L with 4 points.

Are England facing a right-back problem after beating Panama?

The concern is real. Jarell Quansah started there, was booked in the 60th minute and replaced by Djed Spence in the 63rd minute. Some reports stressed a possible injury concern, while others did not. Gary Neville was openly uneasy about the selection, and Thomas Tuchel admitted England are working through solutions without Reece James.

Who do England play next after topping Group L?

That is still not fully settled from the reporting around the match. Some outlets pointed to Senegal, while others mentioned DR Congo depending on later group results. What is confirmed is that England finished top of Group L with 4 points after beating Panama 2-0.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 9 outlets. How we work →