​England’s Group L finale against Panama on Saturday offered little relief from a group stage that failed to impress for most of the time. Although the Three Lions were already through to the round of 32, their 2-0 win over Panama did not show real progress for the majority of the match, echoing their 0-0 draw with Ghana earlier in the week. Frustration built as England spurned golden chances, with Panama’s Jose Luis Rodriguez coming closest in the 56th minute, firing over the bar from near the top-right of the box as Jordan Pickford shouted at his defenders for the lax defending.
England finally found a breakthrough when Jude Bellingham spun a defender to finish a Bukayo Saka cutback in the 62nd minute. Five minutes later, Harry Kane extended the lead with a header, making him England’s all-time top World Cup scorer with 11 goals, surpassing Gary Lineker. The second-half goal seemed to calm nerves after a listless first half, a pattern fans have become accustomed to in this tournament, where England had failed to lead at halftime in every group stage match so far. In the opener against Croatia, they trailed 2-2 at halftime before winning 4-2, and against Ghana they were level at the break as well.
Kane’s late header offered some relief to the home crowd in New Jersey, who celebrated to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” during the hydration break. The stadium roared again after the appearance of David Beckham on the jumbotron, though any real joy for Panama’s late hopes was brief. Sub Jose Fajardo thought he’d pulled one back in stoppage time, but the flag rightly ruled him offside, ending any late drama.
There was tangible frustration for England, especially for Marcus Rashford, who started on the left wing in place of Anthony Gordon and squandered several chances, including a free kick that narrowly missed in stoppage time of the first half. Bukayo Saka, replacing Noni Madueke on the right, struggled with his grip on the ball in the opening period as well. Yet England did improve in the attacking third compared with the Ghana match and created more chances inside the box.
Ultimately, Bellingham’s goal and assist sealed top spot in Group L, sending England through to the knockout stage with momentum, even if the performance afterward left much to be desired.