EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It wasn’t without some tense moments, and the attack didn’t self-destruct and stall, but England got the result it needed.
On Saturday 27 June, England defeated Panama 2-0 with two second-half goals (one from Jude Bellingham and one from Harry Kane) in the final group stage game.
In this way, England entered the day with a win and advanced to Group L with seven points. Croatia will advance to the group in 2nd place after defeating Ghana, while Ghana will advance in 3rd place.
While the Three Lions have done enough to get the job done, some key questions remain unanswered heading into the round of 32. In other words, which players will Thomas Tuchel trust going forward after making some key changes to his squad against Panama?
USA TODAY Sports provided live updates and highlights from the game.
Sensing that their World Cup is ending in another fumble, Panama try to push the ball forward, but England are now playing in complete control. The Three Lions looked content with possession, maintaining their attacking stance and moving the ball from the flanks.
England were now in a comfortable position to play the game, with just 10 minutes remaining until the end of regulation.
Things are starting to come together for England. Just a few minutes after Jude Bellingham broke through, England moved the ball down the left flank. Harry Kane finally converted a cross from Bellingham and confidently headed it into the back of the net in the 67th minute.
England are currently at the top of Group L. This was Kane’s 11th World Cup goal, the most ever for England.
The Three Lions finally broke through in the 62nd minute with a goal from a corner kick.
During this play, Bukayo Saka quickly passed the ball in and Jude Bellingham, who had been kept in the penalty area, picked it up. But Bellingham kicked the ball with his left foot, past Panamanian keeper Orlando Mosquera and into the net.
The goal cheered up the England fans in attendance, and at the same time the Three Lions were beginning to find further weaknesses in Panama’s defence.
However, Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera parried it away. Kane hit the ball with plenty of pace, but the ball never traveled far beyond Mosquera’s reach.
After England lost the ball in their own half, Panamanian midfielder Jose Luis Rodriguez tried to shoot from just outside the box, but the ball skimmed the far post. Suddenly England are faced with the reality that defeat is within the realm of possibility.
But the first few minutes start out pretty much the same. Marcus Rashford received the ball on the left on the counter, but ended up parrying it away, and Jude Bellingham played a pass inside the box, but he too was parried away. Harry Kane, deep in the penalty area, then tried to finish a cross from the left, but the Panamanian defenders deflected his pass and pinballed it into the face of the goal.
Then, in the 55th minute, Rashford ran down the left side and found the side netting.
Nothing was easy for England.
It was some interesting football in the first half, but it was clear that England needed more shots on target. The Three Lions were better and led in most attacking metrics, but England failed to break through with the most important shots on target (2-2) and goals.
Panama looked to be gaining confidence as the game progressed, but England fans may be starting to suspect that something is seriously wrong. It will be interesting to see what changes Thomas Tuchel chooses to make in the second half, as the changes to his squad have not had the results he had hoped for.
After Jude Bellingham was fouled about 30 yards from goal, Marcus Rashford attempted to take a shot over the Panama wall. The ball curved toward the right post, but the ball missed the touch and went over the goal three minutes into stoppage time.
There is a bit of anxiety in the New York/New Jersey venue as England once again struggle to find the back of the goal. Fans in the crowd appeared to be watching the score between Croatia and Ghana (1-0), which puts the Three Lions in second place in Group L.
Panama, on the other hand, launched a number of counter-attacks to destabilize England’s defence. England continued to send the ball into the penalty area, with both teams playing actively. But still, just like against Ghana, there was still no goal.
Seconds after play resumed after a hydration break, Panama created their first threat in front of goal. In the 26th minute, midfielder José Luis Rodriguez won the ball in open space on the left and fired a left-footed shot that England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had to deflect to save his near post.
I feel like it’s only a matter of time before England score. The Three Lions clearly have more momentum and are playing with more creativity and aggression, but they continue to struggle to score goals. So when the referee blew the whistle for a hydration break, jeers could be heard from the pro-England crowd.
England led in shots (5-1), shots inside the penalty area (3-0), passes (165-72), corners (4-0), free kicks (7-3) and possession (62-28).
Marcus Rashford (left wing) and Bukayo Saka (right) marked notable changes to the squad on Saturday, with England looking to build momentum through both wingers. The wingers found far more space against Panama with Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke finding far more space than they did against Ghana four days ago, and the Three Lions are finding ways to get touches deep in Panama’s half.
England have an overwhelming possession rate (remaining at around 60%) and are the attackers. However, as in Ghana, there is no breakthrough in sight.
The Three Lions went on the attack even more, passing patiently throughout their formation and trying to find openings in the Panama defence. Left winger Marcus Rashford produced the first threatening shot of the game in the 8th minute with a right-footed shot from the left side of the box. The ball traveled across the slippery pitch, but Panamanian keeper Orlando Mosquera punched it away.
A few minutes later Rashford, who started in place of Anthony Gordon and made an early impact, cut into the box and forced England’s corner.
The game started tentatively for both teams, with both teams playing in a very compressed manner around midfield. But England played a few balls into Panama’s box to see how Canalelos would react. This led to England’s first corner kick of the match, which was safely headed away.
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What time is the England vs Panama match today?
The matchup kicks off at 5pm ET.
The rain continued to fall as the national anthems of both countries rang out here at New York/New Jersey Stadium. The crowd is lively and lively as England aim to win Group L.
Panama will wear an all-white kit, while England will wear red tops and navy blue bottoms.
Yes, Panama lost the first two games of Group L to Ghana and Croatia and were eliminated from the World Cup.
After a quiet 30 minutes with no rain, the sky darkened and a light drizzle began to fall, coinciding with pre-game warm-ups. The weather doesn’t seem to be enough to deter fans. Rather, they seem to embrace it, and with kick-off about 30 minutes later, continue to dance and soak up the atmosphere.
At 4:14 p.m. ET, both Panama and England took to the pitch for pregame warm-ups. Interestingly, despite the rain that had been falling throughout the morning, grounds staff chose to turn on the sprinklers while the field was still clear. It is no exaggeration to say that the pitch is well-hydrated, especially around the sprinkler heads, where there is clearly visible moisture collected.
Here in the New York/New Jersey stadium, fans are still trickling into the lower and upper bowls, but early indications are that this will be a large pro-England crowd. Along the wall behind both goals, fans carry flags bearing the names of their local clubs. It’s true that there is a group of Panamanian fans rooting for the Canaleros, but their red somehow blends in with England’s red.
One notable celebrity in the house is Mariano Rivera, the Panamanian former New York Yankees closer and the only player to be unanimously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has made a number of changes to his squad, most notably starting wing-forwards Marcus Rashford and Bukyou Saka in place of Anthony Gordon and Noni Maduke.
Another notable player who started on the bench against Panama on Saturday was midfielder Declan Rice.
Immediately after arriving at the stadium at 3:33pm ET, England’s players came onto the pitch to assess the situation. They wore team-issued light blue travel sweats. Some people were walking around, and some were juggling balls that were left on the field.
Around the same time, a bus carrying Panama players arrived at the stadium.
With about an hour and a half until kickoff, the rain that has been falling since morning is still falling, forcing fans who enter the stadium to wear ponchos or rain jackets. One thing for sure about today is that there will be no complaints even if the pitch is dry. The field here at the New York/New Jersey venue has been the focus of criticism from players, but rain conditions will need to be monitored throughout the day.
At 3:25 p.m. ET, officials walked the pitch and assessed the situation. Players have not yet come out to warm up or survey the field.
The good news is that the rain should ease up somewhat as kickoff approaches, but with scattered showers in the Northeast, it seems almost certain that the rain will affect play in some way. The other good news is that there doesn’t seem to be any lightning in the area, so we don’t have to worry about game interruptions, at least for now.
Panama vs. England match will be held at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
- GK: Orlando Mosquera (22)
- DF: Jose Cordova (3)
- Defender: Fidel Escobar (4)
- DF: Carlos Harvey (14)
- DF: Andres Andrade (16)
- DF: Amir Murillo (16)
- DF: Jorge Gutierrez (26)
- Midfielder: Cristian Martinez (6)
- Midfielder: Jose Luis Rodriguez (7)
- Midfielder: Edgar Yoel (11, C)
- FW: Tomas Rodriguez (9)
2026 World Cup Team Complete Roster
- GK: Jordan Pickford (1)
- DF: Ezri Konsa (2)
- Defender: Nico O’Reilly (3)
- DF: Marc Gehi (6)
- DF: Jarrell Quansah (26)
- Midfielder: Elliott Anderson (8)
- Midfielder: Jude Bellingham (10)
- MF: Morgan Rogers (17)
- FW: Bukayo Saka (7)
- Forward: Harry Kane (9, C)
- FW: Marcus Rashford (11)
Panama vs England expert predictions
Seth Terny: Panama 0-3 England
Panama’s attack doesn’t look much of a threat, so the question is how many points England can score. Although we had a disappointing result against Ghana, we should be able to score at least two points.
john arnold: Panama 0-2 England
Panama won’t bring the same style as Ghana, but the defense will be tougher than it was eight years ago. But the lack of a finisher means they lose a shutout and concede a few goals.
Jesse Yomtov: Panama 0 – 5 England
There is certainly cause for concern if England fail to drop at least three points against Panama.
victoria hernandez: Panama 0 – 4 England
England are furious after their terrible performance in the draw with Ghana. We expect Harry Kane to make up for it here.
Panama vs England odds
Group L games will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
- *England 1-1-0 (+2) – 4 points
- *Ghana 1-1-0 (+1) – 4 points
- Croatia 1-0-1 (-1) – 3 points
- Panama 0-0-2 (-2) – 0 points
World Cup Group L Schedule
(all eastern)
Check out USA TODAY Sports’ live group standings, stats and latest standings here.
